


This One's On You

by AnabielVriskaMars



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Marichat, So much fluff is yet to come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-05-25 17:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 45,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6204289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnabielVriskaMars/pseuds/AnabielVriskaMars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fighting with Tikki was the worst idea she'd had in a very, very long time.</p><p>She had to admit that it wasn't always bad luck as much as bad choices getting her into these situations.</p><p>For instance, she was stuck in a freezer with Chat Noir and no help to come.</p><p>And his ring just started beeping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cooling Off

**Author's Note:**

> Some Marichat for all your Marichat needs.
> 
>  
> 
> I plan for so much fluff in next chapters, with a high chance of grand reveal.

Marinette's luck had once again failed her. If there was one thing she can trust was this: her luck  _always_ failed.

She didn't even know  _why_ Tikki had ran off like that in the morning. They were having a discussion and Marinette supposed that it got out of hand but...

I mean, was it  _really_ that terrible of her to want to know the origins of the Miraculouses?

She supposed there were better ways of boarding the subject, and she  _had_ ignored Tikki when she'd started looking so distressed about not being able to answer.

So yeah, more than bad luck it had been Marinette's insistence, but in her defense she'd just had a really bad day, okay? She'd had a hard time with a test in the morning, and then she'd ran into  _Chloe_ of all people, and you know, she and Sabrina were up to their usual mischief. She hadn't had a  _wink_ of sleep last night working on a new design...

Okay, none of these were excuses to be mean to Tikki. She would have to do something really nice to apologize to her.

A table crashed only a few feet from her body and splintered against the wall.

She would apologize  _if_ she got out of this alive.

A chair crashed on the other side of her body.

She  _really_ had to get out of here.

But...

Oh god, Chat was having such a hard time facing the Diplomat by himself. And he wasn't even going to be able to capture the Akuma! What would they do if the Akuma spread?

She really,  _really_ owed Tikki the biggest apology she could muster.

But now the biggest deal was surviving.

Chat noir flew across the room of the Grand Paris Hotel and slammed against the floor. The Diplomat was about to strike and--

Before she knew it, Marinette had dashed towards Chat Noir-- probably Ladybug instinct-- and pushed him out of the way --straight into the freezer.

Before either one of them could get up, the Diplomat was at the door, smiling cruelly.

"I'll take care of  _you_ after I'm done with these  _disrespectful_ politicians," he said as he slammed the door shut. Marinette saw Chat rush to the door to try to stop it, but it was too late. The door closed with a click just in time for Chat to slam shoulder first against it. He yelped in pain.

"Chat!" she yelled and rushed to his side. He rubbed his shoulder in pain, but when he turned to see her, he had a winning smile on his lips.

"Ah, sorry. I wish you hadn't seen that. Not much of a 'cool hero' there, was I?" he asked.

Marinette wanted to reprimand him. To tell him he was a fool, and that he had to be more careful. If he injured his arm, how would they get out? How would they fight? But most importantly, Marinette just realized how scared she had been at the prospect of seeing him hurt in any way. This was a bad train of thought.

"That was pretty brave of you," he grinned at her. "You saved my life," he said as he stood from the floor and made a swooping bow. "I owe you a big one."

Marinette had to consciously remind herself that she wasn't Ladybug, so she would have to control her reactions carefully, lest she be exposed.

"I don't know if I would call it 'saving'" She responded and looked at the locked door. Chat seemed anything but preoccupied.

"That's alright, my partner will be here in no time to let us out." he said confidently, and Marinette's heart sank. Ladybug would most certainly  _not_ be here to let them out.

Not for the first time in the day, Marinette regretted her fight with Tikki.

She wrapped her arms around herself, half in self-consciousness, half in cold. "What if she doesn't?" She couldn't help but ask. "What if she doesn't find us?"

Chat simply smiled at her with that perpetual glow in his eye. "Then we find our own way out."

For a second, this made MArinette feel more relieved than she probably should have been. Sometimes she forgot how capable Chat was in his own right, and how much ne didn't really  _need_ Ladybug save to capture the Akuma.

This last thought stung a little, but Marinette ignored it. She looked at Chat, who was in turn looking at his hands (paws?) as if studying them. He looked rather preoccupied.

"Don;t you have like a power to get us out of here?" Marinette asked, playing dumb. She  _knew_ his Cataclysm would have them free in no time.

Chat grinned and scratched his head. "I sort of... already used it today." Marinette's heart sank. 

His grin dropped for a second, and for the first time she saw him actually preoccupied. Chat looked around desperately, and it hit Marinette square in the face when she heard the noise.

His ring.

"You're going to detransform." She blurted out, and Chat looked a lot like a guy who wished to deny it, but knew it was futile. Marinette grabbed both sides of her head in stress. "How are we going to get out?!"

Chat looked very closed to being very stressed. "I'm sure she'll come." He said, but his words weren't convinced. Marinette had to think of something quick.

"She's not coming." She blurted again. "I- I ran into her a while ago and she--- there was somebody else in trouble! I think she's got her hands full at the moment!"

Ah,  _now_ the poor kitty's face lost all its color. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped and if they hadn't been in such an awkward position, Marinette would've laughed. Chat started pacing around, his hands on both sides of his head.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no,  _oh no_." He looked around the freezer one more time desperately, and then back at Marinette. There was doubt in his face, and then resignation. He stepped close, coser than any male except her father had stood, and took her by the shoulders. "Listen, I'm going to ask you for the biggest favor I've ever asked anyone."

Her stomach turned into a knot. A very complicated, and terrible knot.

"You're right. I'm about to detransform... but  _nobody_ can see that happen, do you understand? And... I  _can't_ run." He explained a thousand miles per hour.  "I need you to close your eyes and promise not to look my way okay? Its only for a few minutes. Just until I'm strong enough to do it again. Please," he begged. "I  _need_ to be able to trust you."

Marinette had never seen chat so debased. 

There was no denying it, she  _was_ curios as to who the person under the mask was... but if the roles were reversed, she  _knew_ Chat would never spy on her, or go against her wishes. Her resolve strengthened.

Without a word, Marinette fished into her purse for a scarf she'd been carrying in case it got nippy and tied it around her eyes before sitting down in the opposite direction of Chat.

"Go on," she said, sitting indian style, her back straight, and pretending that she was not freezing. "I swear I won't look."

At that moment, Marinette could swear the stress blow out of the room like a deflating balloon. She heard Chat's sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Marinette said nothing for a few seconds, and heard the commotion behind her. It was a low pitched noise that she recognized from her own detransformation, and then the voice of Chat's kwami. Soon, the whispered voice of Chat Noir joined the cacophony.

"We're in trouble." she heard the harsh whisper. "I  _need to_ transform. Ladybug isn't coming and..." there was a significant silence, and Marinette was sure he was pointing at her. She pretended not to listen.

When his kwami spoke, MArinette couldn't help her curiosity, and listened in.

"This is a terrible situation." She heard it speak, and  _wow_ it sounded  _nothing_ like Tikki. But then again, it wasn't as if she'd known too many kwamis for comparison.  "I'm so tired... I need to eat something."

She heard Chat's harsh whisper again. "EVerything here is frozen... and I don't have anything on me to give you."

Marinette cleared her throat nervously. "I didn't have time to eat my lunch... You can have it if you're hungry, Chat." She said, addressing him and pretending she didn't know his Kwami was in the room with them.

There were several seconds of silence. She added, "if you need to recover energy you might as well eat something," she insisted. "That way we can get out of here." MArinette hugged herself tighter. She really  _was_ getting cold. Without turnng around, she fished her lunchbox from her bag and held it towards Chat, not even turning around.

There was more silence, and then the feeling of skin on skin as a gloveless Chat took the lunchbox from her.

"You are... very kind," she heard him say, and shrugged her shoulders.

"Anything for the town hero, right?" She said and rubbed he hands together. The cold was getting worse. She didn't know how long she'd be able to last like this. 

"Are you cold?" She heard him ask, while she clearly heard his kwami eat loudly and quickly. "Christ, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault."

Marinette rubbed her arms. "I was the one who pushed us into the freezer, remember?" she tried to sound lighthearted, but her voice was shaking and her teeth had started to chatter.

More silence. "Mari-- miss," huh? she was sure he was going to call her by her name... he probably heard it when someone called for her. "I need you to promise not to turn around, okay?" She heard the sound of rustling clothes and steps coming her way,

"I already di--" shestarted, but stopped when she felt him sit down right behind her.  She couldn't say anything. Somehow she felt his arms wrapped around her, and a heartbeat that wasn't her own pressed against her back.

That, and the blush she gained were enough to make her warm.

"This will keep us warm until I can transform again, okay?" He whispered, and Marinette felt that there was something familiar about that voice, though she couldn't quite place it.

At the moment she was more or less too busy concentrating on her partner sharing his body heat with her.

More importantly, she was busy trrying to deny how good it felt.

He spoke again.

"You're very brave," he whispered. "I pretty much owe you my life."

Marinette didn't know what to answer. Her mouth had run away from her brain.

"Anyone could've done that." She finally answered.

"Don't underestimate yourself. You'd make a fine superhero." She could hear the smile on his voice. "If Ladybug and I decide to retire one day, I promise to put in a good word for you."

Marinette didn't answer. She couldn't.

Chat knew nothing about her. Sh wasn't cut out to be a superhero. She stumbled herself through being Ladybug, and everything was pretty much luck... but then, nobody had ever called her 'brave' or 'courageous' or told her that she,  _Marinette_ , would make a fine superhero. Her words were a ball in her throat.

She felt Chat shift.

"I think I'm good now. I'm ready to transform again."

Marinette had a hard time telling herself that she wasn't disappointed about this. Before she knew it, Chat's heat was gone from around her, and his heartbeat no longer pressed against her chest. Soon, she heard the familiar noise of transformation.

"You can take off that scarf now." He said, but before she could reach back, she felt his hands around both sides of her hear, and how he dextrously began untying the knot the had clumsily made. In a few seconds, her eyes were uncovered, though the bright light of the fridge made her flinch. Chat Noir stood in front of her, looking not confident as always, but friendly.

She like d this look on him.

"Thanks," she said, and reached for the scarf, but he stepped back for a second, staring at it, a little confused. "Where did you get this? It must have been very expensive."

It was  _definitely_ an odd thing for him to say, but she paid no heed.

"The materials aren't really expensive." She replied, waiting for him to give it back. He looked at her, confused.

"Wait, you  _made_ this?" He asked, a little more bewildered than the situation required, Marinette thought.

"Uhm. Yeah," she said sheepishly. "I like fashion design and sometimes I make my own. Or for friends." She added, remembering the scarf she'd made for Adrien, even if he never knew it was from her.

Chat stared at her, frowning for a few seconds. "I'm sorry --its just, I've seen a scarf like this before."

Marnette stepped closer and grabbed one end of the scarf. "That's why I always sign them," she smiled as she showed the tiny little M at the very end of the scarf.

Chat looked confused for a couple of seconds, before returning the scarf to her. "I'm sorry, here you go." In a second, and a little too forcedly, she saw him return to his cool and jokish demeanour, as if trying to hide the scene that just happened. "Now excuse me, my fair lady, while I tear this door down."

It took him only a few seconds before the door was rust and on the floor. Marinette, more than anything, was ecstatic to be out in the warmth once again. As they stepped out, Chat smiled once again at her, making one swooping bow. 

"My lady, I'm afraid I owe you both for saving my life and for feeding me, and I think you'll find I'm a very thankful cat." He grinned. "But for now, if you'll excuse me, I have a diplomatic debate to have, and a partner to expect."

Without any more words, Chat disappeared through the doors.

She shook her head. She had no time to daydream.

Time to find Tikki.

* * *

In the end, they managed to defeat the Diplomat and capture his Akuma and it was all good and well, except Marinette still had the whole freezer incident in her mind. She stood by the side of a building, seeing everything turn back to normal.

She didn't hear him approach, but Chat was there, holding his baton over his shoulders.

" _Somebody_ was late today," he said in a sing-song voice. "What was so important that you had to, you know, _ignore_ the Akuma?"

LAdybug smiled sheepishly, not truly having come up with a good excuse. "Cat in the tree," she blurted. "I had no idea there was going to be an attack, so I was at the other side of the city."

Chat sighed exaggeratedly, "well, I would've had one less life if not for one of the students in the College, you know." He announced, and Ladybug's stomach knotted even more in anticipation.

"What? Who?" She asked, feigning interest.

"MArinette. Cute girl." Ladybug's stomach dropped. "Pretty brave. Reminds me a little of you, My Lady." He grinned at her.

Wow no, wait. Why was her stomach flip flopping? This was  _Chat_ they were talking about here. Ther was nothing serious about this boy, even if he tried. She tried to let it slide, but the idea clung to her head.

"If she's so cute, why don't you date her?" She blurted out, even though this was definitely  _not_ what she wanted to say.

"Oh, my Lady, you know there's nobody out there for me but you." He replied, but she saw the shift in his eyes. "I;m just saying that if you don't take care, I might fall for another girl."

This stung.

It stung more than it should. Especially because she did  _not_ like Chat that way, alright? She did  _not_.

It still stung though, him telling her that he might fall for someone else, even if that person was she herself. Hadn't he promised a thousand times his eternal devotion to her? Wasn't he interested in her as  Ladybug anymore?

Ladybug shook her head. These were dumb thoughts and they did not deserve a place in her mind.

"I have to go," she said quickly, "my transformation is gonna fall apart soon." She lied. She knew she still had a good half hour before Tikki got tired, but she just didn't want to be close to Chat for now.

Chat grinned, unaware of her feelings, and waved her away.

"Goodbye, My Lady, see you in the next attack!" He quipped happily before jumping off the building.

There was no way she was losing his attention as Ladybug, and if there was, she didn't care, alrght?

 

That didn't stop her from not being able to sleep that night.


	2. A Coincidence, Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien has a hard time facing the scarf.

Adrien Agreste was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them.

He had known for some time that most years it wasn't his dad that bought his birthday presents, rather than Natalie, his personal assistant.

Its just that Natalie had always bought pens, so this year, when he got a scarf, he actually,  _truly_ believed that it had been a gift from his father. Because you know, a your only son turns 15 only once in his life and all.

This is why when he opened the drawer where he kept that light blue scarf he was so fond of, he was terrified of that single letter at the end.

Taking a deep breath, he examined the scarf from end to end and--

there it was.

A small, almost imperceptible but beautiful little M, written in cursive and sewn in with golden string. 

Adrien flopped down on his chair, dejected.

"What's wrong? Hungry?" asked Plagg, obviously always thinking about food. Adrien rested his head on his palms, propping his shoulders up in his desk. "If you're very hungry I  _suppose_ I can give you some of my Camambert, but you'll have to buy me more later!"

Adrien sighed. "I'm not hungry, Plagg."

"Then  _why_ do you look so sad?"

Adrien leaned back on his chair and stared at the high ceiling of his room.

"You know that scarf I got for my birthday from my dad?"

"You were only talking about it for a week. Of course I remember." Plagg replied.

"It wasn't from my dad. I think it was from Marinette."

Plagg stayed silent for a few seconds. He put down the piece of cheese he had been eating right in front of Adrien.

"I guess you can have it." Plagg said awkwardly, and it was as kind a gesture as he had ever seen his Kwami make. "I can have another one later."

Strangely enough, this raised Adrien's spirits a bit. He took the cheese and popped it in his mouth.

Adrien immediately regretted his decision. Plagg looked pleased at himself.

* * *

MArinette sighed as she toppled over on the bed, head straight to the pillow.

She was not thinking of Chat Noir.

She was  _not_.

She was not thinking about the kindness in his eyes, or the wonder in his voice when he said  _she_ was kind. She was not remembering when he called her brave, nor when he told her that she would make a great superhero.

Most importantly, she was  _not_ thinking about his heartbeat against her back, not his breath on her cheek, nor the warmth of his arms wrapped around her.

These were all thoughts that were not in her mind, okay?

"Marinette?" Asked Tikki timidly. Ever since their reunion and subsequent beg for forgiveness, Tikki had seemed a little more careful than before, though it sent a pang of guilt through Marinette. "Is everything alright?"

Marinete turned over in her bed and sighed. "It's fine," she lied, "I was just thinking how lost I was without you there to help me."

Well, it wasn't _entirely_ a lie.

Tikki smiled a little, and Marinette thought she saw some of her former glow return.

"Let's not fight again, okay?" Tikki said, and Marinette nodded. Tikki flew by her cheek and gave her a hug. Immediately, Marinette felt a lot better. " _Now_ will you tell me what's wrong?"

Marinette sighed once again. There really was no hiding from her kwami, was there?

"Its nothing important." She replied with a tone of finality that told Tikki not to  pursue the subject. Tikki looked dejected, but did not object. Instead she smiled and hugged her again.

"I love you, Marinette," she said, her words heavy with feeling. It made Marinette's eyes sting a little and the edge of tears peek from over her eyelashes, a pleasant little knot in her stomach ( ~~not at all like the one she had gotten from being with Chat~~ ) tightened, and she smiled, pressing her hand gently at the cheek where Tikki hugged her.

"I love you too, Tikki."

* * *

There was a crash as chairs slammed in through the window.

The Teacher threw tests everywhere, pinning children to the wall.

Marinette had tried three times to hide somewhere and transform, but Alya hadn't let her hand go for a single second. She had to do something quick.

"I-I forgot my bad in the classroom!" She squeaked. "Let me go get it real quick."

Alya's grip didn't lessen. "Are you nuts? The Akuma's in there! We need to run in the opposite direction!"

Oh, leave it to Alya to be _reasonable_ this time.

"A-aren't you gonna go and film Chat Noir and Ladybug?" She asked her friend. Alya looked distressed. She shook her head.

"As soon as Ladybug and Chat Noir are here I'll go. For now its too dangerous."

 _Are you serious?!_  Jesus Christ, of  _all_ the times Alya could've picked to be safe, this was the  _worst_.

For the second time in as many days, Chat Noir flew about a foot from the floor in Marinette's eyes, and again, there was nothing she could do about it.

"Bad children get a time out!" cried out the Akuma, ready to strike at Chat. Marinette broke Alya's grip, and,  for the second time in two days, she did something stupid and dangerous.

Thank god this time, when she and Chat stopped rolling, it wasn't in a freezer. It was just in a really awkward position.

Marinette was on the ground, Chat lying on top of her with his hands on both sides of her head. For a second, Marinette could only think how cliche this was, and how unoriginal this plot point turned out to be.

Chat grinned at her. "B _onjour, ma belle._ " There was nothing alluring about his smile, alright?  _nothing_. "Looks like you're two for two this week." He winked at her. "I'll repay you after I'm done with this evil educator."

Without another word, Chat jumped from on top of her, as if he had not been uncomfortable or nervous or embarrassed or excited or in any way shaken up by being so close to Marinette. Who by the way was all these things and was freaking out.

Chat Noir would  _not_ be the guy to make her heart race, okay? He just  _wouldn't_.

"Now,  _ma belle amie_ , get yourself to safety while I handle this!"

Marinette did only half those things, and returned five minutes later ready to wreak some havoc.

* * *

Chat Noir sighed into the afternoon, thinking very, very carefully. He'd had his share of difficult thoughts lately, not the least of which was the scarf with the tiny golden M on it. 

More importantly though, he'd had several  _intrusive_ thoughts that he really,  _really_ wanted to get rid of.

Ladybug had been late again. This was the second time in two days that she'd show up late with a feeble excuse, and it was the second time he'd been saved by Marinette. He needed a partner, he knew, he was just, you know, wondering a bit where his actual partner's head was at.

He couldn't keep putting Marinette in danger, but he couldn't do it alone either, so what  _was_ the answer?

And most importantly, why did he still have the scent of her shampoo in his nose?

* * *

Marinette had detransformed and was in a hurry to get back home. Her parents had asked her to take over the bakery for a few hours while they went to dinner, and since it wasn't a heavy day, she complied happily. 

Her only problem was that she was in a rush. And rushed Marinette did, and missed, stupid things.

The first and foremost was not looking both sides before crossing the road.

She heard the honk of the car before she saw the flash of color. Once she saw it, it was like being under a spell. She heard the screeching tires but she couldn't move. She was a deer in the headlights and she was about to be made puree.  

Except there was someone else with a different idea.

There was a flash of yellow and black and the distinctive feeling of having your body going in an entirely different direction than the one you expected.

Before she knew it, she was a few feet to the right of the  _freaking bus_ , being held by none other than her partner. His eyes were a little wild when he turned to her, and the shouts of the angry driver were only the annoying buzz of a fly far, far away.

"Are you okay?" Chat demanded, almost squeezing her shoulders. He seemed rather preoccupied. "Are you hurt?" He looked all over at her, making sure she was still in one piece.

It took Marinette about 10 seconds to gather her bearings.

"I-I'm fine. I was in a hurry and I- I just-- I didn't--" And the first tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

It was one of those moments in which you  _just_ realized that you almost died and now the relief was so big that it sort of overwhelmed you and the only thing you could do was cry.

Marinette wiped the tear away with the palm of her hand, still shaking. She tried to turn away but Chat grabbed her by the wrist.

"Hey," she said softly, and she once again heard that kindness she discovered the other day, "are you sure you're okay?"

Marinette nodded, still shaking. Chat looked around for a second. There were people watching the scene unfold, but he didn't care. He looked back at Marinette and smiled a little.

"I'll take you home."

"W-what? No, I'm fine."

"The shaking of your hand belies you." He countered, and Marinette really didn't have it in her to fight. "Come on, its faster this way anyways." He winked at her. "You won't find a cheaper  _or_ a more effective cab in all of Paris."

Without saying anything else, Chat gathered her in his arms and soon she was soaring through the skies of Paris in a way she never had before.

It was no use telling herself that her speeding heart was the product of adrenaline.

* * *

They arrived at her rooftop in less than ten minutes. Marinette was only half glad she was home. 

She rubbed her arm self-consciously.

"Would you-- Do you want something to eat?" She blurted, not entirely sure where that came from.

Chat smiled and began to shake his head, but the little Marinettes that controlled her brain were having none of it.

"Come on, you saved me and got me a ride home. At least let me feed you." She thought for a moment and then laughed. "I don't know what my parents will say about bringing home a stray kitten though," she said, and laughed again.

It took her two seconds to realize that Chat wasn't laughing. When she looked at him, he had the most inscrutable look on his face. She blushed again.

"I-I'm sorry, I guess it wasn't that funny, was it?" She asked, but Chat didn't answer. He looked a thousand miles away. "Chat? Are you okay?"

Chat Noir shook his head, as if to come back to reality. He blinked a couple of times at Marinette and grinned.

"I suppose if the best bakery in Paris is offering me something to eat it would be a crime to say no, right?" He said lightly. Marinette blushed.

"Wait right here." She said and descended to the first floor for some baked goods.

When she came back upwards, Chat was admiring the Paris skyline in awe.

"You have the best view in all of Paris." He whispered, as if saying it loudly would make it go away. "This is wonderful."

Marinette stepped closer to him, somehow proud that this view made him so happy. She placed the plate of cupcakes in the rail and stood right next to him, leaning over the rails herself. vChat grabbed a cupcake and bit into it. Immediately, he smiled. "This is unbelievable."

Marinette laughed. "Best bakery in Paris."

"Do you cook?" He asked. Marinette let out the most unladylike gawfaw she could. It was so loud, crows in a nearby cable up and left, probably wondering at the strange girl with the weird laugh.

"Sorry," she said, covering her mouth, ashamed, "I'm just--- a terrible cook." She finished. "My parents are amazing, and I  _wish_ I could inherit the bakery but... I'm just no good at cooking."

Chat blinked. "Why not?"

Marinette began numbering with her fingers. "I'm clumsy, I have terrible taste for salt, I like things  _way_ too sweet, I have a terrible measuring eye and my taste buds are a shame to all of mankind." She finished with a tiny smile. For the second time tonight, Chat looked at her, lost for a second.

MArinette, as she did always when she was nervous, began talking some more. "I'm much better at clothes design though."

Chat's ears perked up at this. "The scarf." He said, only a little too eagerly. Thankfully, Marinette didn't notice.

"Yeah. Actually, the one you say was part of a pair," she said with a little blush, "the other one I made for a friend of mine... but I don't think he liked it." The disappointment was clear in her voice.

Chat's mouth ran dry. He did  _not_ want Marinette to think he hadn't liked the scarf! He  _loved it_! He just thought it was somebody else's gift!

 _Somebody who clearly forgot his birthhday_ , he thought dryly.

"Why wouldn't he like it?" Chat asked loudly, scaring off his earlier thoughts.

Marinette shrugged. "I don't know, I mean, I  _saw_ him wearing it... but he said it was from his dad!" She looked down absently at the way her hands moved to explain every bit of clutter in her mind. "I left it at his home with his personal assistant, and I  _know_ I left my name on a card... could it have fallen?"

Chat Noir didn't know what unnerved him more: knowing that somehow, someone in his house had made it seem like Marinette's gift was his father's, Marinette being so disappointed and distressed about it, or the fact that there was nothing he could do about it.

He sighed and reached for another cupcake, only to realize they were all gone. Marinette laughed.

He was starting to really,  _really_ like that sound.

"Seems like I found myself a hungry kitty." She smiled, and Chat smiled back.

"Don't you know that you shouldn't feed stray cats? They come back, you know."

Marinette smiled softly, and  _wowza_ that made Chat's heart skip a beat if something ever had.

"Its alright," she said, "just come at the end of the day. We have leftovers that I usually take to the shelter downtown, but I don't think anyone's gonna mind if you take a cookie or two."

Not for the first time, Chat Noir found himself in awe by the brightness of her kindness.

"Marinette!" They heard from below. "We're leaving, come down!"

Chat and Marinette looked at each other, both reluctant to let the moment pass, but reason got the better of both eventually.

"I hope  _ma belle_ will excuse me." He said and made a swooping bow. "I don't want to keep you."

Marinette touched the edges of the plate reluctantly, as if thinking about something.

"You know, I was serious," she said in a tiny voice, almost scared of being heard. Chat, with his superb hearing, did not miss it. He stared at her expectantly.

"I meant it when I said you could come by at the end of the day." What? What was she saying? "There really  _is_ too much left over."

Chat grinned at her winningly --not the kind look she liked, but a grin that she could appreciate-- and stood on the rails of the balcony.

"Sounds like an invitation that I wouldn't pass up for the world!" He said, and was about to jump, "bye, miss!" and with that, he jumped.

Marinette rushed for the balcony just in time to see him hit the floor with the grace of a cat. She put her hands around her mouth to amplify their sound.

"That's Marinette!" she yelled. Chat looked at her from below, and she could barely see him, but she knew he smiled.

" _A tout a l'heure, Marinette!_ " He yelled, and soon disappeared on the streets of Paris.

* * *

ADrien spent hours looking at the scarf and thinking about who really had given it to him, and found, along with his disappointment and melancholy, that it wasn't quite so bad if it was a gift from her.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am the queen of cliche apparently


	3. She Can Make It Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chat picks a fight, Ladybug feels guilty, Adrien is angry, and Marinette has to fix it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing so much fanfiction I've forgotten to continue my original story.
> 
> But its all worth it cause the support I've received from you guys has made me unbelievably happy.

There was a pounding on his head already.

Adrien closed the door gently, as not to startle Nathalie.

She was sitting on her desk, typing away frantically, probably trying to meet an impossible deadline that his father had given her.

Not for the first time, Adrien wondered why she put up with so much from his dad.

He cleared his throat.

Natalie jumped a little in her seat, startled despite Adrien's efforts. Her eyes were wide for a second, until she realized it was only Adrien, and visibly relaxed.

 _She won't be relaxed for long,_ Adrien thought.

"Adrien," she said professionally. "Is everything okay? Are you in need of anything?"

Adrien took a deep breath, knowing that he was about to open a can of worms.

"Everything's fine," he replied, trying to school the nervousness in his mind. "I just had a question for you."

Nathalie blinked a couple of times, confused, and returned her eyes to the computer, typing away once again. "Go right ahead." The sound of keyboard clacking was the only noise in the air. Adrien took a deep breath.

"Do you remember the scarf my dad sent me for my birthday?" He asked. Nathalie flinched. He could tell by the way her fingers missed the letters and she had to back up several spaces. She pretended nothing was amiss.

"Of course. One of your father's more thoughtful gifts, I would say." Nathalie replied, tensing visibly. For a second Adrien almost felt guilty for making her go through this.

Almost.

"Yes. Thoughtful." He echoed. "So thoughtful. One would even say...  _out of character_." He let the words hang in the air. Nathalie persisted in keeping her facade, and Adrien had to give her points for that. "You know what's interesting about that scarf though?"

Nathalie stopped typing and looked at him, fear clear in her eyes. Adrien didn't wait for a response. He held her eyes with what he was  _sure_ was a piercing gaze, and spoke.

"The scarf has the exact signature of one of my friends from school." He delivered the line perfectly, as if he were an actor. Nathalie's jaw clenched. "In fact, she happens to have an  _exact replica_ of that scarf at home. Which she made. By hand."

Once he said the words, they hung in the air gently, not aggressively. It was as if Adrien, for all his dark glare and inside anger, had only said something trivial. Nathalie held his gaze for a second and then cast her eyes down. As if that had broken the spell, she rested her shoulders on the table and hid her face in her hands.

"Adrien I'm _so sorry_!" She cried. "Its all my fault." 

Adrien's anger gave away to pity. But only a little. He was still  _very_ angry.

"Nathalie how  _could_ you? What, did you take my friend's present and made it seem like my father's?" He demanded, and though he didn't know it, at that second Adrien resembled Gabriel Agreste more than Nathalie would have wished to admit. "Did you  _honestly_ think that I wasn't gonna find out?"

Nathalie was shaking now, and more and more pity carved its way into Adrien's head. She uncovered her face, and Adrien saw the distress in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "I-I had to get your present but your father told me too late and- and that friend of yours walked in at  _exactly_ the right time and oh god, I just-- I was terrified of what your father would do if I didn't give you a present from him!" Nathalie buried her face in her palms, resting her elbows on the table. Adrien took a deep,  _deep_ breath before speaking again.

"My father will not hear about this." He said, stepping on every word to make them clear. Nathalie's head shot up from her hands, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I won't tell him. But I  _swear_ that if this happens again, its gonna be  _bad_."

Nathalie sighed in relief. Her shoulders slumped as if she'd been carrying a huge weight on her. "Oh, Adrien,  _thank you_."

Adrien shrugged, traces of his anger vanishing now that he had vented. "Its his fault anyways. He shouldn't have you doing  _his_ parenting."

Adrien turned on his heel and left the office, and Nathalie silently thanked every being in the sky that Adrien was nothing like his father.

* * *

 

Being Chat Noir was exactly what he needed right now.

He was a bit angry at the life of Adrien Agreste, so stepping out of that skin for a while was refreshing. Wearing the black suit and jumping through the night was  _exactly_ what he needed right now.

Well, the Akuma was unnecessary, but he supposed he couldn't win everything, could he?

Once again, Chat had to start the fight by himself. This time, it was a woman with grey skin, throwing rays from the tips of her fingers that muted people. She was The Librarian, and she would throw books at everything and everyone that made any sort of noise.

"Hey, Librarian! Do you have a book on cats I can borrow?" Adrien yelled to get her attention. She hissed at him.

"No pets in the library!" She yelled, and threw a book that hit him square in the chest.

Chat Noir hit the wall of a nearby building, hissing in pain and trying to recover the air he'd lost.

_Where was Ladybug?_

* * *

Marinette was sweeping the floor of the bakery happily. The TV was off and her phone was in her room.

She was humming.

* * *

Chat ran as fast as he could, trying to draw the Librarian as far from the center as he possibly could, doing his best to protect the largest amount of people.

He was beginning to panic, and Chat Noir was  _not_ known for panicking.

He could stall all he wanted, but in the end, without Ladybug, there wasn't anything he could do to stop the Akuma. I mean,  _sure_ he could break the object, but that would only make matters worse when it actually spread.

His only hope was that Ladybug would be here soon.

* * *

Two new costumers walked in through the bakery door. Marinette greeted them cheerfully and took her place behind the counter to take their orders. As they ordered, she began packing their things, until she couldn't help but eavesdrop in the conversation.

"...and Chat Noir is having a  _really_ hard time! Where on  _earth_ is Ladybug?"

"I know! I saw it in the news just now!"

Marinette's blood ran cold, and she almost dropped the bag with both  _pains au chocolat_. Without much ceremony, she thrust them into the client's hands and ran upstairs for her phone. When she saw the screen, she nearly fainted.

Five missed calls from Alya.

That could only mean one thing.

As if on cue, Tikki ran out from her hiding place in Marinette's drawers, where she had made her a little yet comfortable bed.

"We have to hurry! There's an Akuma attack in the middle of the city!"

Before five minutes had passed, Marinette had closed up shop, transformed, and was on her way to the centre of the city.

* * *

Still panting, Ladybug thrust her yoyo and caught the Akuma without much effort. She opened her yoyo and let the little butterfly of light fly timidly away, with a gentle ' _bye bye, petite papillon!'_

She turned around to celebrate and congratulate Chat, but he was gone.

A pang of disappointment ran through her, until she saw the black figure at the top of the building, watching her. Her heart gained a little energy and she smiled, heading his way.

* * *

"I thought you'd gone without saying goodbye!" She said cheerfully. Chat looked somewhat out of sorts, and her cheer dampened. "Hey," she began, more quietly this time, "is something wrong?"

Chat looked at anything but her. Ladybug was starting to worry.

"Chat?"

He raised his eyes and looked at her, and she wished he hadn't. There was a hardness that she'd never seen in him, and that she did not like in the least.

"Where were you?" He demanded. Ladybug's mouth ran dry, and she had to take a second to respond.

"I came as fast as I could."

"Ladybug, its the  _third time this week_ that you've been late." He said so coldly that Ladybug's skin prickled under the suit. "You know how many times I've been tossed around?"

Of course she knew. She'd saved him twice.

But she wasn't about to say that.

"We're supposed to be partners." He didn't raise his voice, and that only made it much worse. "How are we supposed to be partners if I don't know whether you're gonna make it to the scene or not?  _a civilian_ had to save me twice! Do you  _know_ how much danger I put her in?"

Ladybug wanted to answer, but her throat was closed. Chat just shook his head disappointedly and turned around.

"I'm gonna go.  _Please_ don't be late next time." He said the word 'please' almost like an insult. Ladybug felt three inches tall. 

Without another word, Chat Noir jumped from the rooftop and disappeared in the night.

* * *

This was the first time that Marinette understood when people said 'guilt eats at you.'

Every step she took she felt a little worse, as if there was a little insect taking bites out of her, nipping at everywhere in her body and just leaving empty spaces that guilt would fill.

I mean, she  _knew_ it wasn't her fault, right? She just couldn't get away the first two times!

And well, today, yeah, that was her fault. She should've been more careful and had her phone on her.

Its just that--

She  _had_ seen Chat take hits  _hard_ when she hadn't been able to transform. Heck, he must have so many bruises because of her...

Marinette sighed in defeat. He was right. She had been a terrible partner as of late. She buried her face in the pillow, trying to drown out the outside.

Except that's when the knocking started.

And there was only one person it could be.

Marinette considered for a second pretending to be asleep, but she'd already screwed over Chat  _way_ more than it was okay, if there was an okay amount of screwing over that was actually allowed.

Dejectedly, she sat on her bed and saw Chat on the other side of the window, the earlier coldness of his gaze gone and his lips stretched into his characteristic smile. This sight managed to unwind Marinette's heart just a little, and she stood to let him in.

" _Bonne soire, ma belle_." He said, waiting for her to invite him in. "I hope this isn't a bad time."

Marinette was so relieved to see him that it drew a smile from her lips; a smile that she didn't think she would've been able to make in his presence for a long time.

"Not at all,  _petit chaton_." She greeted and opened the door wide to let him in. "Come on, its getting cold outside."

Chat stepped into the house gratefully. If it hadn't been for the little drops of water in his head, she wouldn't have noticed that it was raining.

"Wait, where've you been?" She asked dumbly. 

Chat shrugged. "I was walking around the street..." He cleared his throat self-consciously, "and I kind of felt like taking you up on your baked-goods offer. I hope that's okay."

:Marinette laughed nervously but happily. "Of course its okay, I  _did_ invite you, after all."

And then Chat smiled that kind smile that made Marinette's heart race.

And that's when she notice that his eyes looked so, so sad.

"Hey..." she stepped closer to him, closer than she should've dared. "Hey, what's wrong?" Her voice was low, so low, that it was almost a whisper, and almost a secret between the two of them.

Chat tried to smile, but his heart wasn't in it. Instead, he looked at her with tired eyes, the intensity of their green striking Marinette dumb.

He looked for a moment as if he were about to deny it again, but with a sigh every part of his confidence seemed to leave him. Marinette grabbed him by the arm and sat him in her couch, taking the computer chair for herself.

"Talk to me," she said softly, as if not to scare him.

Chat rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Its nothing, I just..."

 _I just fought with my partner,_ she expected.

"I just had a fight with somebody." He said. "Two somebodies, actually. Both very close to me."

Marinette sat back, not taking her eyes off of him. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Chat's shoulders slumped, the same way Nathalie's had that afternoon. He rested his forearms on his knees and took a deep breath.

"I just had a fight with Ladybug today," he said, and ran a hand through his hair. Marinette's fingers itched to touch his hair as well, so soft it looked, and so much he seemed to need it. She stopped herself. "I just-- I feel like I overreacted so much."

Marinette pretended not to know about the fight.

"What was the fight about?" She asked gently, and couldn't help but reach for his hand. Surprisingly, he took her hand in his and squeezed it, as if this was something he needed.

"I just--" he sighed. "I was on edge, and she was late, and I got my butt handed back to me  _again_ , and I just-- I took it out on her, and I  _know_ it wasn't fair but I-- I just-- I was so  _angry_."

Marinette felt something constrict around her heart. She  _deserved_ his anger. She  _had_ been late several times. He  _had_ suffered because of her.

She tried to silence the voices in her head that told her that all this was her fault, and spoke over them. "Why were you angry?" She squeezed her hand. She didn't know if it was for his sake, or hers.

Chat took a deep breath and straightened, redrawing the smile on his lips: a tired smile, but one full of serenity.

"It doesn't matter. Something dumb." He explained, and Marinette  _wanted_ to press him for answers, but she knew it wasn't fair.

"I think you're right to be angry with Ladybug." She heard herself say, much to her horror. "She  _has_ been late several times, and you've been having a bad time because of it."

Chat looked at her with a small, almost inexistent smile, and a look that said that she wouldn't understand, even if he explained.

"Ladybug is one of the most wonderful creatures in existence," he said, and it was all Marinette could do not to blush. "IF she was late, I'm  _sure_ she had her reasons. She... she's something else entirely, Marinette." Now he looked at her, and his eyes seemed to shift, as if he were now seeing  _her_ instead of a ghost, or a memory. "You're a lot like her."

Marinette blushed a deep scarlet. "Am not."

She felt something light under her chin and felt it raise her face to meet Chat's. It was his fingers, directing her gently.

"You are," he said softly. "You are brave, and kind... You'd make a fine superhero." He said softly, and it was now that Marinette realized how close they were.

She wanted to get back, she  _did_ , but it was like being caught up in a magnet, or trying to move your arms and legs on a rollercoaster. There was just something that kept her there, immobile.

"I'm not like you," she said softly. "You-- you're a hero. You're wonderful."

Chat shook his head, and this time he took her hand firmly. "You underestimate yourself, Marinette."

It struck her then. He was so close to her, holding her hand. It was the middle of the night, it was raining, and he was sitting very, _very_ close to her. Marinette wanted to break free, to turn away, to go  _anywhere_... but at the same time, she didn't want to.

She loved this distance between them. It felt  _right_.

No, what was she saying! Of course it didn't! She only wanted Adrien!

Or did she anymore?

It didn't matter though. Her entire conundrum was for nothing. Chat pulled back, deflating all the warm air that had surrounded Marinette until then. She felt disappointed but relieved, and it was the strangest combination of feelings that had ever collided within her.

What she didn't know was that Chat had gone through a similar conundrum, and he had only barely managed to pull back from her.

Marinette sat back, now that she was no longer under his spell. Now she was so,  _so_ aware of every one of her limbs, and how awkward they felt, and how much they seemed to be too much.

She missed the warmth of his hand around hers, and the feeling of his body heat close to him. She missed his eyes, so intense and so close, watching only her, as if the world had fallen away and they were the only ones left.

A world where there had been no Ladybug.

Marinette shook her head. She wasn't  _jealous_ of her other self. That was ridiculous! 

First of all, she did  _not_ like Chat, so there was nothing to be jealous  _over_ _._ So there. It was a stupid train of thought anyways.

But the air was empty anyways, and her heart was lacking something anyways, and she missed his warmth anyways.

There was a moment of silence, when neither one had their wits about them enough to actually say anything. Marinette cleared her throat three times before she was actually able to say anything.

"Do you want me to get you something to ear? I did promise you that..."

Chat was about to reject her kind offer, but his stomach growled in response.

They looked at each other for two whole beats of a heart before breaking into laughter at the same time.

And just like that, the tension that had electrified the air just seconds ago had dissipated.

Chat stayed only for an hour, enjoying every minute he spent with Marinette. They played videogames, and once again she cleaned the floor with him. They spoke an shared and enjoyed each other's company until it stopped raining. Chat looked out the window, clearly disappointed.

"I guess I should go..." he said, rubbing his arm self consciously. Marinette smiled, and once again, the breath hitched in his throat, and he was lost,  _so lost_ in the beauty of a real smile.

She looked more beautiful than any model he had ever worked with, only because she was real and alive and just  _so beautiful_.

Marinette looked at him shyly. "Will you come back?"

This time, Chat grinned, regaining his usual composure. "Try to keep me away,  _ma belle_."

Marinette did not want to admit how happy that answer made her.

Even after he was gone, Marinette could smell and feel his presence, which seemed to make the room warmer. She lay in bed, face up with a dumb smile on her face--

\--which disappeared when Tikki looked at her disapprovingly.

"You  _can't_ fall in love with Chat."

Marinette parted her lips to reply.

She  _wasn't_ falling in love with Chat.

Right?

* * *

Adrien had to wonder how many times you could lose your wits at a girl's smile before it was considered "being in love."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Dumbstruck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien is very bad at dealing with feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who's sad?
> 
>  
> 
> this girl.

Adrien knew he was in trouble.

He was in love with two  _very_ different girls ( _were_ they that different?) and they both knew him best as his own alter ego. 

Marinette couldn't string three words together in his presence as Adrien, and Ladybug probably didn't even know his name --or worse, she just knew him from the ads.

It was just --it was just very hard, alright? He led a triple life, and all parts of him were divorced from one another almost irreconcilably. He was Chat, Adrien _Agreste_ , and _just Adrien._

Who his favorite version was, was a toss up between Chat and _just_ Adrien. Most days, he felt that there wasn't a hair in his head that belonged to _Adrien Agreste_. He was both sides of the moon without either one being the real one. Does that make sense?

The side that always faced the earth was obviously _Adrien Agreste_ , model, student,  _model student_ , heir... all things that you clearly  _see_ but weren't really a part of him... like just a reflection of light on the surface of the moon.

The _dark_ side of the moon, what people _really_ wondered about, was Chat Noir. Mysterious, dark, quiet and almost unseen in the night.

The thing is, underneath it all, he was _just Adrien_. Just a really big rock with a bunch of craters.

And he really liked being that way. Even though nobody bothered actually thinking about the real deal --the part that had nothing to do with lighting. The part in which he was honestly just a 15 year-old boy who wanted friends, and to go to school, and to be  _normal_.

But he supposed it didn't matter anyways.

He was always bound to be one of the sides of the moon, regardless of what he wanted.

Adrien sighed, staring straight at the high roof of his room. It was three in the morning and the moonlight was spilling into the room softly, like a whisper. He hadn't been able to sleep all night.

Plagg, on the other hand, seemed not to have any problems whatsoever finding sleep. 

He reached for his phone carefully, pulling it under the covers before switching it on to see the picture in the background. It was one of the photographs from the picture day at school. He had been  _so happy_ at the thought of a picture of him  _that wasn't staged_ , and moreover, a picture with  _friends!_ That he hadn't been able to resist, and simply used it as his background.

He zoomed the picture until he could see Marinette clearly in the shot. She had a small smile painted on her lips but happiness was spilling from her eyes, and somehow everything about her just  _glowed_.

He sighed and locked his phone, burying his eyes on the crook of his elbow.

This was Marinette.  _Mari_.

This was the girl he'd voted for as class delegate.

The girl who could put her trust in anyone.

_The girl who knit a scarf for his birthday._

She was...

Adrien searched deep within his heart, ruffling through all the words he knew and trying to match one with the image of the girl he knew. Nothing seemed to fit her. Nothing was  _enough_ to cover what she was. Until he finally found it.

Marinette was like  _home_.

Not  _his_ home, of course. His 'home' was only a house. Large, full of unnecessary items, and yet so, so empty.

Marinette was like her own home. A warm place in a rainy day. The smell of fresh baking clinging to every memory. Fog building up outside and staining the windows with condensation, but the feeling of family and warmth and love and joy inside. 

The thought clung to his heart heavily.

He thought of Ladybug next.

If Marinette was home in the cold, Ladybug was a bonfire in the beach. She was exciting and new and adventure. She was bravery and fire and the sun. She was what kept away the shadows with a light she didn't even know she possessed.

And he loved them both.

He knew, somewhere, he could  _feel_ that they both cared for him --but only as Chat Noir.

And  _that's_ why he was in so much trouble.

* * *

He went to school having slept barely a wink. He had washed his face three times to try and disengage himself from the claws of exhaustion, but it did little good. He hadn't even bothered having breakfast --his stomach was still in knots from last night's realization. Now he had to go to class with one of the girls he knew he loved and could do nothing about it because the person she trusted was not  _him_ , but Chat.

Adrien had barely crossed the door of the classroom before he swung his bookbag to the table. It fell with a  _thump_ that startled Nino from his almost-sleep, making him jump a little on his seat. Adrien had to stifle a smile.

"Whoa man, what's with the violence," Nino said, more statement than question. He looked at Adrien curiously for a second before furrowing his brows in concern. "And why do you look like a raccoon?"

Adrien rubbed his eyes self-consciously before taking his seat next to Nino, flopping down his head in his arms for some rest. "Thank you for that," he told Nino with a trace of bitterness. "I didn't sleep last night, but its nice to know that I look so terrible."

Nino snickered. "Hey man, a little swelling and one would almost think you got into an actual  _fistfight_." He laughed at the notion. "Though I have a hard time believing that the golden boy  _could_ get into a fist fight.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe it was those intrusive thoughts he'd been having all night. It didn't matter either way. Adrien did not care for that comment one bit.

He supposed it must've shown in his face, for Nino's attitude toned down immediately and he rested a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"Hey, I'm just kidding."  He said soothingly but sincerely. "I'm sorry." The tiny bubble of irritation that had blown into Adrien's chest quickly popped, and he relaxed again. He rubbed his eyes again.

"Sorry dude. It was a really long night." Nino nodded and said nothing.

They said nothing as Marinette and Alya walked into class, chatting amicably with Rose and Juleka before taking their seats. As soon as they did, Nino fell into conversation with them, and Adrien had to take a deep breath, and as he did, he felt the knot in his stomach tighten slightly as he turned around to meet Marinette's eyes.

Wow. Okay. Abort mission.

Nope.

He wasn't ready. 

The knot in his stomach turned into a full-fledged rollercoaster that he was definitely  _not_ tall enough to ride, thank you very much, and it was like there was a little person in charge of his brain that closed up his voice box and kept hitting the 'run' button, cause his legs wanted to do just that.

"Hey Adrien," Marinette said, and command center just shut down. Now there was  _nobody_ in charge of what was happening in all his body, and the only thing that remained was that roller coaster in his stomach. She was now in command of his entire self, even if she didn't know it.

She smiled sweetly at him and just like that, his feet were anchored to the floor and a dumb, awkward smile crept into his lips and his hand flew to the back of his neck as it did each time he was nervous. He let out a small, nervous laugh that he really wished no one had heard.

Marinette looked at him more closely, her face turning preoccupied. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Their small almost-bubble of conversation was popped by Alya's voice, effectively bringing Adrien down back to planet Earth.

"Seriously, what happened to you? You look terrible!"

Adrien switched his gaze to Alya. It was easier to focus when not looking at Marinette.

"Yeah, I kinda had a rough night. Its alright though, I've had worse," he replied and chuckled nervously. Neither one of the girls seemed at ease, but they dropped the subject.

It was just as well, for Miss Mendeliev walked into class at that moment, and any further conversation was interrupted.

Adrien was very,  _very_ glad.

* * *

The end of the day couldn't have come soon enough. By the last hour, Adrien was nodding off, and once his head really  _did_ hit the table with a thump that woke him up. It was more than enough to earn him a headache.

Not that he  _didn't_ have one already, considering that the no-sleep, no-food combo is most certainly a bad idea.

When the final bell rang, he had his head between his hands, still sitting in his usual desk, just taking a few minutes to gather his bearings before actually heading home. He had heard as the rest of the students had trickled out of the class, talking happily amongst themselves. He had felt Nino get up and leave without saying anything, but feeling his burning curiosity burn a hole in the side of his head. He heard Alya and Marinette stand from behind him and come down the stairs, but he also heard one set of footsteps stop in front of his desk. He didn't have to raise his head. He did so anyways.

There was Marinette, blushing lightly and looking down at a little box she carried in her hands.

Adrien tried a smile, which he was pretty sure looked pathetic, but did so anyways. Marinette turned a brighter shade of pink.

"Everything okay?" He asked, suppressing a yawn. He tried to sound as light as possible, but the truth was that he could barely keep his eyes open.

Marinette shuffled a little and cleared her throat.

"Y-you, uhm," she stuttered. "Your head hurts, r-r-right?"

He smiled a little, exhausted. "Am I that obvious?"

Marinette placed the box gently on his desk, trying to make the least amount of noise possible, bless her.

"M-my mom made these." She said, looking at the ground and laughing nervously. "She, uh, she told me to share it with f-friends."

This actually made Adrien incorporate himself a little and look at her more closely. This seemed to make her more nervous.

"I shared with Alya and Nino.. b-but you were asleep during lunch, s-so I saved you some." She looked at her feet again. "I-its just some cookies."

For the first time in the entire day, Adrien let out a genuine, excited smile.

"Thank you so much," he said, and this time his voice didn't seem so tired. "That's so sweet of you."

Marinette blushed and seemed to look harder at the ground.

Now, it is important to note that Adrien was pretty much over the moon at this moment. He was just too tired to do anything about it. Every inch of him told him to hug Marinette and thank her properly, but just as he finished gathering the will to do so, she stepped away from the desk, and just like that his moment passed.

Adrien would curse himself half the ride home, but for now he just smiled at Marinette with all the energy he could muster.

"You have no idea how I appreciate this." He said sincerely. Marinette graced him with a tiny, sweet smile that just.. sparked him up. He sat up as she waved goodbye.

Needless to say, the pastries were wonderful. Between the sugar and Marinette's smile, Adrien was ready to take on the world --or, well, drag himself to the car and go home to sleep for a couple of hours before a reunion he had with a new photographer that evening.

He was only too excited to notice that Marinette had left the box with a handkerchief inside.

Which,  _of course_ , he would return in a  _very_ gentlemanly fashion, thank you very much.

He reached his room and was asleep before he hit the pillow, the dumb smile he'd had on his face since she had given him the box never leaving his dumbstruck face.

 

 


	5. Pastry Wars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Adrien learns how to bake.

Okay yes.

Yep.

This was it.

This was  _definitely_ it.

Adrien was waiting right outside the Dupain-Cheng Bakery at ten in the morning on a beautiful Saturday, standing like a complete dork and gripping in his hand the little handkerchief that he'd kept the day before when she'd given him the pastry box. 

Exactly  _what_ he was waiting for was really anybody's guess.

He took a deep breath.

Marinette was going to be happy to see him... right? Yes, of course she would be, why wouldn't she? They were friends, after all, and it wasn't odd for friends to visit each other during the weekends. Especially if said friends possessed the latter's pieces of embroidery which they wished to return.

He took another deep breath.

"If you don't move, I'm going to bite your toes." He heard the small voice come from the inside of his shirt pocket. He frowned but otherwise ignored Plagg. These things took time, alright?

Alright, enough.

Adrien stood straight, clenched his fists, squared his shoulders and straightened his head. It was now or never.

He pushed the door open and stepped into the bakery, the bell sounding at his entrance. 

As soon as he stepped in, his heart jumped into his mouth. 

Marinette was crouching behind the glass counter, filling in the fresh croissants for the day. She wore her usual outfit, down to the jacket she never seemed to be without, and complete with a ~~n adorable looking~~ white bandana wrapped around her hair, leaving out only her bangs and both pigtails.

"Hey," he said. His throat dried. She'd be happy to see him, right?

Suddenly he heard the very distinctive and very new sound of a head hitting glass and then a group of croissants bumping against each other inside the glass display.

* * *

 

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,  _oh my god._

Marinette didn't manage to catch a single croissant of the tray she spilt inside the display ( _thank god they only fell there so they were still edible)_ because she was too dumbstruck looking at his newest costumer.

Was it like a law of the universe that someone looked better on the weekend than they did on a regular day? Or was that just him?

She didn't even bother acknowledging how hard she hit her head against the topmost shelf (which was, in fact, very hard) and simply stood up straight, laughing like a complete moron at the sight of her classmate in her store.

"H-h-hey, A-adrien." She laughed nervously. He looked a little worried.

"Hey.. Are you okay? That looked like it hurt." 

Marinette dismissed him with her hand. "Its nothing, nothing! Don't worry about it!" she laughed some more and worried for a second that Adrien might think she'd knocked something loose in her head. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Adrien looked at the ground, abashed ( _adorable)_ and scratched the back of his neck ( _cute)_ before extending his left hand towards Marinette, clearly holding something.

It took her well over ten seconds to understand that she was meant to grab what he was offering, and well over fifteen to realize that it was her hanky.

"You, uh, you left that in the box you gave me yesterday," Adrien cleared his throat. "I wanted to give it back... and to thank you."

Marinette blushed furiously as she took her hanky off his hand. She did  _not,_ of course, notice that it smelled exactly like him. Because that would mean she's smelled Adrien before. Which she hadn't. Because that would be weird.

_Anyways..._

_"_ I'm glad you liked them," she said, and wanted to hit herself. Why couldn't she say anything with  _meaning_? 

Adrien looked at her for the first time and smiled at her and  _oh my_ her heart hit the pause button.

"They were unbelievable. The things you do in this bakery are nothing short of magic."

At this, Marinette actually smiled sincerely. She was so, incredibly proud of her parents' work and--

" _Oh my god_." her world froze.

Adrien's face lost its glow immediately and turned into a worried frown. He looked around, as if scanning for danger.

"Mari? What's wrong? Did something happen?" He asked, looking around in fear.

Marinette's hands flew to the sides of her head and she grabbed her pigtails in despair. 

"It's my dad's birthday." She whispered. Adrien melted from alertness to confusion. Marinette spoke louder. "It's his  _birthday!_ Oh god, oh god, oh god!"

If Marinette hadn't been to busy freaking out, she would've noticed how adorable Adrien looked when he had exactly  _that_ mixture of bewilderment, nervousness, and confusion.

But she was, so she missed it, and it was a damn shame.

Finally responding to Adrien's pleas for explanation, Marinette looked at him with despair written all over her face.

"I forgot to make his cake." She whispered miserably.

* * *

Adrien stared at Marinette in silence for a good ten seconds.

"What?" He prompted, not entirely sure what this was about.

"I forgot to make my dad's birthday cake." Marinette covered her face in her hands, and Adrien had to actively fight the desire to walk around the counter and wrap his arms around her. Whe she looked up at Adrien, it was as if she wasn't really  _seeing_ him, rather than picturing a bleak future.

Just like that, inspiration struck. Adrien smiled at Marinette.

"How about I help you?" He offered, his heartbeat raising as if his own heart was standing in tiptoes to see her answer. "I, uh, I've never really  _baked_ before, but I think I can help you following the recipe."

As if his words had summoned Marinette's brain from whatever ocean of despair it had thrown itself into,  she looked at him hopefully.

"You--You would do that?" She asked, a little smile tugging at the corner of her lips, and the shine returning to her eyes.

_Holy cow_ this was enough to make Adrien's throat close up, lock it up and throw away the key. He nodded dumbly, and the smile became fuller, as if Marinette were stepping back into her own body.

"Adrien,  _thank you_ so much." She gushed. 

Adrien took a moment to remember this day. Remember her face, her tone of voice, the blush of her face and the smile on her lips. He painted it all inside his brain, because this was an image he knew he would never,  _ever_ forget.

He smiled.

How hard could this be?

* * *

"Okay, like this?" Adrien asked. He was holding the whisk awkwardly, trying to stir whatever this hell-mix was. He was stirring hard and there were drops of... whatever this was... everywhere.

"No, wait." Marinette said and came up from behind, easing the bowl out of his hands and readjusting his grip on the whisk. "Here, try it like this.  _Softly_." She commanded.

Adrien tried again, more slowly this time, and was surprised to find it was now easier. He smiled as he continued to stir, proud at his understanding of baking.

He looked at Marinette, who had her back towards him. She was standing on her tiptoes trying to reach some utensil that he couldn't name. He thought about the time he, as Chat, had asked her if she was good at cooking, and she'd given him a list of reasons why she was terrible.

Adrien smiled fondly. Of course, Marinette would underestimate herself. This girl was so much more wonderful than she gave herself credit for.

_FWOMP!_

Adrien stopped stirring.

He was too busy looking at Marinette, now covered head to toe in flour, sitting right next to the huge, open sack, which was probably to blame for her condition.

He just wasn't entirely sure how this happened.

"Uhm, Mari?" He asked, putting the bowl down. "How...?"

Marinette looked at him from the ground, her eyes wide in confusion, as if she herself would also  _love_ an explanation as to how she ended up in the ground covered in flour.

"I, uh," she stuttered, comically confused. "I... think I fell on the flour sack."

The kitchen was as silent as a graveyard, until something broke.

At first it sounded like a crack, but it dissolved itself into the most pure, unadulterated,  _hooting_ laughter that Adrien Agreste had  _ever_ managed to release. He leaned against the table, clutching his sides as he could not get himself under control.

A little voice in his head told him that this was wrong, it was uncouth! He  _had_ to get himself under control, what would Marinette think? What would his  _father_ think if he saw him laughing like that?

He tried to get his laughter under control and offer his hand to Marinette, but when he was finally able to open his laughing-tear stained eyes, she was already standing, an inscrutable expression on her face. For a second he felt as if cold water fell all over him. Was Marinette angry at him?

But when he gave her a good look, he saw that under all the flour in her face, there was a  _smirk_. It made his heart race if something ever did.

"So you think its funny huh??" She asked, but he still didn't have the air inside of him to reply. She didn't give him time. "How about..  _this!_ " As she said this, she thrust her fists towards him and opened them, releasing handfuls of flour at him.

"H-hey!" He called, his laughter regaining momentum. He grabbed a handful of the already spilt flour from the floor with one hand and caught her wrist with the other one, pulliing her close to him as to not let her escape and dropping it over her head. "Payback time!" He cried, ruffling it all into her hair, which now looked a lot more white than black. 

Marinette continued shrieking in laughter, and it only made Adrien's heart soar as they continued playing, chasing each other around the kitchen until they were out of breath.

It took them a few minutes for the laughter to die down, but even after it did, its echoes pressed against them both pleasantly.

"We..." Marinette giggled. "We should probably... keep going." She spoke out of breath.

"Yeah," Adrien replied, only now realizing that his laughter had also taken all the breath from him. "Or we're never gonna finish."

For a little while they continued woking seriously, except for when Adrien put eggyolk on Marinette's nose, or when Mari tickled Adrien's face with butter-covered fingers.

Before long, the cake was in the oven, and the both of them sat on the kitchen stools, the type of exhausted that only happens after you've laughed for hours.

"I didn't know baking was this much fun," he said, leaning against the table, pretending to look at the oven, but totally eyeballing Marinette. She still had a smile clinging to her lips.

"It usually isn't." She replied and smiled. "I think its only fun when you do it with a friend."

Adrien's heart swelled every time Marinette called him a friend. He hoped he'd never get tired of the feeling. When he spoke, there was joy in his every word.

"Now what?" he asked. "I've never baked a cake before."

Marinette looked at him sideways, disbelievingly. "You've  _never baked_ a cake before?" 

Adrien shrugged, not in the least bit sorry, since it meant this entire experience. "And endanger our  _pristine_ cuisine?" Adrien joked with a posh accent. 

Marinette laughed a little. "I suppose that makes sense... though I  _did_ have to clean up after myself after everything when I was a kid." She shot him a sideways glance. "And so are you,  _monsieur_." She grinned. "You get the entire cake-baking experience, and that  _includes_ the clean up."

Adrien laughed and nodded. He wouldn't have it any other way.

To his insides, all he could think about was Marinette, and how she changed after a little while of hanging out with her, as if an hour was all he really needed to have her open up and  _be_ his friend. He'd always noticed that she seemed to get along with everybody but him... Maybe this was what they'd needed to change it.

He truly couldn't have picked a better girl to fall head over heels for.

"Now we get to prepare for the decorations." She said as she hopped off the stool and fetched something from under the sink. When she came up, Adrien could only tell that everything in her arms was made of metal. "What colour should we make it?"

Adrien grinned, probably a lot like Chat, but he didn't care. He'd never felt this free inside his skin before.

"Green."

* * *

After everything was done and they were waiting for the cake to cool down, Marinette lazily dragged her fingers through the remnants of batter from the bowl while Adrien watched her dumbly, his face resting against his hand.

"So wait," Marinette said, dragging her finger once along and picking up batter. "If you've never baked a cake what did you do for your father's birthday?"

Adrien shrugged. "He's usually busy. I don't think  _he_ knows when his birthday is."

Halfway through another drag, Marinette stopped.. "Wait."

Adrien looked at her expectantly.

"If you've never baked a cake..." She looked at him, deadpan. For a second, Adrien was scared. 

"...you've never eaten raw batter before."

Her words were low, almost an accusation. In the spirit of that same seriousness, Adrien nodded.

"I have never."

Marinette looked at him, awestruck. "That is a crime that I intend to remedy!" She said thrusting her batter-covered hinger forward. "I'm gonna get you a spoon and we're gonna fix that!"

Adrien laughed. "If you're too good for a spoon then so am I!" He exclaimed and dragged two fingers through the bowl, the same way Marinette had. Without waiting for a response, he thrust them into his mouth and tried the batter.

It was the best thing he had ever tried.

And this was a boy who ate caviar as a snack.

"So?" Marinette asked, waiting for his response. Instead of answering, Adrien dragged the same two fingers and directed them towards his mouth...

...But wiped them in Marinette's nose instead.

"Oh so  _that's_ how you wanna play it!" Marinette called, laughing, and they began the flour war all over again, their laughs echoing across the kitchen.

It all ended abruptly when Marinette caught both of Adrien's arms by the wrists to keep them away from her face, and he was about half a foot from her.

Both their breathings were ragged. Their pupils were dilated. The clinging vestiges f laughter had evaporated from either one, and now all that remained was a choking silence and the tension of green eyes boring into blue.

Adrien's heart was on his ears. No, it was on his head. His heart had replaced its brain and all its functions, and the heart is stupid.

That's why Adrien leaned in.

He leaned in slowly, as not to scare her. He took every inch as it came, and they felt like a kilometre. He could see her closing her eyes, but all he could hear was the ever increasing drumming of his heart against his head and it was starting to hurt  _so good_. He was close, so close, that his lips brushed her softly like a little papillon and--

\--she turned her head.

Everything that had built inside of him crashed into one huge, destructive wave, and he could hear the shattering of glass inside his head. It was as if an earthquake had taken over him and now everything inside of him was in disarray. His thoughts were shattered and his voice was broken and his heart was just a rock sinking in his chest and there was nothing to do and nothing to say.

Immediately, he pulled back.

"Mari, I'm--"

"I'm sorry, I--" Marinette interrupted.

Adrien raised both his hands, as if to show that there was no need ( _even though he was dying for a reason_ ) and stood from the stool.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't've done that." He said. Marinette tried once again to interrupt him, but for the first time in his life, Adrien Agreste was impolite. When Marinette started apologizing, he interrupted her. "I was out of line, its fine, Mari. I just have to go."

"Please don't--"

This time he had to tear the smile from inside his chest, like a band aid, and plaster it in his mouth. "It's fine, I should really go though. Nino's probably waiting for me."

It didn't matter what Marinette tried to tell him afterwards, Adrien could only excuse himself over and over again, until he went home.

He did not text Nino that day. Adrien didn't want to go anywhere that day.

But Chat Noir had other needs.

* * *

All throughout her father's birthday dinner Marinette was completely spaced out. It was as if her brain was only hovering several feet above the connection to her head, and she just couldn't do anything.

She had no excuses. No thoughts.

She couldn't even explain it to herself.

Why?

The question in itself was a torment. How  _could_ she? This was what she'd always wanted, so  _why?_

She hadn't found her answer by the time Chat was knocking on her window.

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Always the Rooftop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette needs a friend and the kwamis have an opinion

He knew that he shouldn't be there. It was still all too fresh in his memory.

But something inside of him still pulled him to that rooftop. 

It was simple: he needed a friend, and she was the only one he wanted to talk to about this.

Not for the first time, he was happy to have an alter-ego.

* * *

Marinette hadn't said anything to Alya yet.

She would,  _of course_.... just... after she was done figuring it out.

Everything was as fresh as wet paint in her head. She'd gone over it so many times in her head that the image was  _seared_ inside her eyelids.

"You're... really affected, aren't you?" Tikki asked, flying several inches over Marinette's face, the latter sprawled in her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She sighed.

"I just..." she sighed once more. "I don't even  _understand_. I should be over the moon right now... I just--" she hid her head behind her hands and grunted in frustration, feeling just the edge of tears wanting to reach her eyes. She pushed them down. "I'm so confused." She concluded, dropping her arms at her sides.

Tikki couldn't stand looking at Marinette so dejected. In all her years --all the charges she'd had-- she had loved fiercely, and Marinette was no exception. Anything that hurt Marinette hurt Tikki, and the little kwami  _knew_ how to hold a grudge.

Marinette's eyes trailed the ceiling, were some pictures of Adrien used to hang. She'd taken them down after the time he came over to play video games and she just never put them up again. It wasn't the same anymore, but she didn't know why.

Her gaze stopped at the window hatch, and she saw a familiar silhouette  walking around in the roof, and she was instantly flooded with the warmth feeling of relief. 

This was what she needed.

Chat.

Without another word, Marinette left Tikki alone in her room and ran up to meet her friend.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was that it was too cold for spring. Winter would be coming soon, and she definitely should've brought a jacket.

The second thing she thought, which was frankly related to the first thing, was about the time they had been trapped in the freezer, but she immediately evicted that thought from her head and locked it up with no possibility of parole.

Finally, she relished in the relief that she had felt as soon as she saw him. She walked forth a few steps, hugging herself for warmth. Chat had her back to her.

"I kinda missed you yesterday," she said awkwardly, but didn't second guess her words. She'd never had to. Not with Chat.

Chat turned slowly in her direction, a gentle smile on his face and a look in his eyes that told her that not everything was A-okay.

"Hey," she walked closer, tucking a windblown strand of hair behind her ear. "What's wrong?"

Immediately Chat's face lifted into a smile that seemed just a little too quick to be real.

"Talk to me." Marinette insisted. Chat let out a long sigh.

"I just missed you." He said amicably. Marinette could read in his eyes the plea for her not to insist, so she decided to drop the subject for a while.

"Are you hungry?" she asked, motioning to her room. "I can get you some croissants."

Chat shook his head. There definitely wasn't the same amount of energy in him as there usually was. All the relief Marinette had felt when she saw him had gone cold in her belly, turning to concern.

"You seem to think I only come here for pastries." He said lightly, and there was a spark of his usual self in his eyes. "When in fact, I come here for the  _purrecious_ company, ma  _belle_."

Marinette relaxed a little. Just a little.

She walked over to the rail where he was supporting his weight, looking out at the city. She stood next to him and crossed her arms as well, mimicking his position and feeling the late spring breeze soothe her. Immediately she began feeling better about her day.

"Today was my dad's birthday." She confided in him. Chat turned his head and looked at her interestedly. "We made him a cake."

" _'We'?"_ Chat prompted, and Marinette realized her mistake.

No, it  _wasn't_ a mistake. She  _wanted_ to talk about it. And she wanted to talk about it with Chat.

She took a deep breath. "You have some time? I've got a story."

Chat flashed her a grin. "For you, I've got a lifetime of time."

Her heart felt a little lighter. How was it that Chat always knew the right thing to say to her?

Marinette turned around and sat on the floor, looking at Chat expectantly. He watched her for a few seconds, confused, until she rolled her eyes and tapped the ground next to her. "I'm telling you, it's kind of long."

Chat sighed and sat down next to her, resting his back against the cemented part of the railing, same as Marinette. "You're paying for the drycleaners of this suit."

Marinette smiled. "Every time you detransform it cleans itself, doofus."

Chat raised an eyebrow. "How can you possibly know that?"

Before the panic could set in, a lie rolled easily out of her lips. "Because if not, I'm  _sure_ your suit would always be dirty and ragged."

Chat thought about it for a second and then grinned. "Fair point." He quipped and rested his head against the wall. "Now tell me this magical story full of adventures and handsome princes --none more so than me, please."

Surprising even herself, Marinette laughed. She'd melted into comfort here, and now she was more than happy to tell her story.

* * *

"Today a classmate came to see me." Marinette started, and Chat searched every inch of her face for a reaction, either positive or negative, about his visit. Marinette smiled, looking at the sky. "He came to bring me a hanky that I let him borrow."

He was  _desperate_ to hear her thoughts on everything, but he had to play this carefully, alright? She couldn't know it was him.

Which, you know,  _definitely_ raises some moral questions about the ethics of pretending to be another person to listen to your crush talk about you, but hey-- no, wait, he had no excuse.

That didn't stop him.

"How polite of him," he quipped, just to make her see that he was listening. Marinette nodded, still looking straight.

 _Holy Moses_ this girl had a beautiful profile. Photographers should seriously be stepping over each other to take her picture.

 _FOCUS, ADRIEN_.

"He helped me bake my dad's cake. Can you believe that he'd never baked  _anything_ before?" Marinette asked, still adorably awestruck, looking at him as if to say  _am I right?_

Chat let out a fake laugh and a soft 'wow.' His heart was hammering in his chest. She looked happy... right?

"Anyways it was..."

His heart was drumrolling.

She smiled. "It was one of the best days of my life."

And it was like cracking an egg full of sunlight inside of him.

 _Wow_ that was a weird metaphor.

"You had fun?" he prompted.

Marinette laughed, probably remembering. "So much. We had a flour war, and just butter tickles, and we decorated it..." the smile still clung to her lips even after she was done laughing. "It was amazing."

There were a few minutes of silence. Chat could feel his heart beat in his  _neck_ out of sheer nervousness.

"And then he..." her voice lowered. Chat held his breath. Marinette cleared her throat. "He- he tried to kiss me."

The words were blown away by the wind and in their stead there was only a waterfall of seconds filling the space between them.

"Tried?" Chat's voice was hollow.

"I turned my head." Marinette replied, just as emptily.

"So I take it you don't like this guy." It was hard to keep the bitterness out of his voice, but she looked entranced enough in her memories that she didn't notice.

"Actually," she said, and Chat's heart stopped completely. "I-I really, _really_ like him." Now his lungs stopped working too.

"Then why...?" It wasn't Chat asking. It was Adrien. He wanted answers. 

Marinette's fingers were fiddling with each other relentlessly. More out of reflex than anything, Chat reached for her left hand and held it in his, trying to reassure her. Me felt her relax a little as she squeezed his hand.

"Its complicated." She replied. "I'm not even entirely sure myself."

Chat --Adrien-- couldn't find a single word in all his repertoire to answer. He remained silent, almost hearing as his friend's head seemed to machinate answers and responses.

"I- I think I have an idea, though." She said, squeezing her hand. She turned her head to look at him sideways with a little, nervous smile on her lips. "I can trust you, right?"

Wordlessly, Chat nodded. Marinette looked forward, as if she were piecing together the parts of a puzzle and she were projecting them all in front of her.

"I've liked him for some time, y'know," she began, her fingers twitching a little in nervousness. "His name is Adrien."

Hearing his name from her lips sent shivers down his spine, and all he wanted to do was cradle her in his arms and hold her close for the rest of the night. He didn't move.

"The model?" Asked Chat.

"He's more than that, you know." Marinette defended. Once again, Chat stopped breathing. "I think that's a part of it. I just-- Ive only known him through school. Every time I try to talk to him I  _freeze up_ , so its not like I can actually get to know him. All I really knew until now was that he was kind, and generous and smart and forgiving." She sighed. "But I suppose that really doesn't go far in knowing a person... right?"

"I-I--" Chat stammered, but Marinette rolled over his words easily.

"Then.. today happened." She said, unlocking her hand from his and beginning a series of hand gestures that would've had Chat laughing if he didn't feel that his whole world was balancing on the head of a pin. "There was a lot more to him than that... you know? It just.... I guess I just realized how little I know the guy I'm  _obsessing_ over."

"Did you--" He stuttered, and started again, more loudly this time. "Did you find something you didn't like?"

Marinette shook her head and pulled her knees to her chest. "Nothing at all. I think I like him even more now."

"Then why did you turn away?" The million dollar question.

She leaned back against the wall and took several seconds to think. She bit her lip, and look a lot like her answers didn't truly convince her.

"I-I think there's two reasons."

Chat remained a shadow.

"The first one..." she took a deep breath, "I want to know more about him. That's what I could think of when he came closer. I just-- I wanna know him  _better_. I wanna know something past the same that everybody knows...because I don't want to kiss a cardboard cutout, y'know?"

"A... cutout?"

Marinette nodded, as if she were satisfied with the way she was explaining. "He's a  _person_ and I think he's spent so much time being pictures and images and just... a  _product_ that I-- I really wanna be able to see  _past_ that." She hid her face in her hands. "God, I'm an idiot."

Now, if I had to explain Adrien's mind right now, I would tell you to picture a toy room after 25 toddlers were in there, and a hurricane had passed three times over. That would come  _close_ to how jumbled and messy his thoughts were. He had to pull them out by strings, one by one.

First, Marinette had feelings for him.

Second, she'd pulled away  _literally_ because she thought too much.

Third, he had to control himself and not try to kiss her right now.

Fourth...

"What's the second reason?" He heard himself ask, as if so far away from his real self. At this, Marinette blushed deeply and hid her face behind her hands once more.

"I don't wanna say." She mumbled.

"You can trust me," he urged. Her shoulders slumped, and he could hear her taking a deep breath before uncovering her face and looking straight at him.

"I  _do_ trust you." She said quietly, looking away. 

"So?"

"That's the other reason." Her voice voice was so soft, she wouldn't've been able to put out a candle.

"What do you mean?" He asked. He could feel everything in him tense and jump and go haywire.

She looked at him for several seconds.

"I don't know your name." She said. Chat was about to ask what it had to do with the price of butter in China, but Marinette continued speaking. "I don't know who you are by day, or even what you look like." More silence. "But I know you like sweets. And puns. You like rock music. "

Chat just looked at her, stunned.

"I think I know more about you than I do about him."

Even more silence.

"You wanna know the other reason I didn't kiss him?" she asked, her eyes cast away  in some sort of resigned embarrassment.

Chat nodded dumbly.

"You have the same eyes as him." She said quietly, so much so that Chat had to lean in closer to hear her. "When he came closer I thought about you."

His throat closed up.

"And at that moment I had two very powerful thoughts." Her voice was like wisps of smoke, but Chat heard every word. "The first one was that I didn't wanna be thinking of anyone else."

Chat almost squeaked. "And the second one?"

"I didn't  _want_ to want it to be someone else." She looked at him from under her lashes, in a point beyond embarrassment and shame, where there was only truth.

"You wanted--"

He didn't finish. The murmured words and soft glances were replaced by her lips on his and her hand on his cheek. She was trembling.

* * *

 

Oh god, she had done it.

She slipped forward and pressed her lips against Chat Noir's, her mind working in the same mysterious encrypted message as it had in the afternoon. Every vein in her body was coiled like a spring, bracing for rejection--

\--which never came.

Chat responded to her just as softly, his hand finding hers and caressing it softly with his glove. He eased himself into a more comfortable position, letting his back hunch overso that he could be closer to her. He twisted his body sideways and carefully wrapped his arm around her tenderly, still keeping one hand over hers, resting on his cheek.

After a few seconds, they broke apart and stared at each other with barely gasping breaths. Chat looked at her as if she were something he had never seen before.

MArinette looked away and blushed slightly. Chat's fingers still touched her cheek sweetly, and she wondered for a second if he could feel her skin under his gloves.

He smiled at her, the most real smile he had given her all night. "I was gonna talk up this guy for you... but now, I don;t think I want to..."

Marinette looked at her hands, nervous, embarrassed, happy, horrified and confused.

"I have no idea where I stand in regards to you two." She heard herself say, and peeked at him. He continued looking at her like she were something new. "I just--" she sighed. "I think I made everything worse.

Chat let his hand drop on the space between them and put it over one of hers.

"Nonsense." He said lightly. "I am the king of making things worse, and trust me-- this is amateur stuff."

Marinette couldn't help a little laugh. "Now I have to figure out which one I like."

Chat smiled a little. "Yeah, I've got the same problem."

Marinette looked at him questioningly. He only winked at her. "I have my secrets, princess."

They both sat back against the wall, not facing each other, but a point in common. They said nothing for about a good half an hour, enjoying the company and the feeling of not being completely alone. That was what they both needed. After a while, Marinette stirred.

"Its getting late. I have a lot of introspection to do." She said as she stood up. Turning around, she looked at Chat expectantly. He watched her and grinned.

"Your logic makes zero sense, you know that right?" He asked. "Now you have  _two_ boys you like instead of  _one_." He grinned. Marinette shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm hoping I'll come back to my senses in time and realize what a pain in the neck you can be. That'll send me running in his direction."

He looked at her, a little more serious this time. "I'm serious. I think you dug yourself a hole here."

Marinette thought for a few seconds, looking at the ground. "You're right." She answered. "I guess... its like I have enough pieces of both of you to make one whole person." She smiled "Sounds like the perfect man."

Chat Noir had the most inscrutable look on his face. Saying nothing more, he stood. 

"Alright, my Princess." He began. "Its been a pleasure to talk to you  _and_ to be kissed by you--" he winked, she blushed--"but I'm gonna have to take my leave."

Marinette laughed. "That kiss was to sort things out,  _chaton_ , don't think you've won my heart yet."

Chat grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it, Princess."

He waved at her feebly before jumping off the roof and into the streets of Paris.

* * *

When Marinette walked into her room, all she could see was red.

" _Are you nuts?!_ " Tikki demanded.

Well, if Pinoccio had a cricket-conscience, why couldn't she have a ladybug-rationalization?

"Err--"

"I  _told_ you not to fall for Chat Noir! Do you  _ever_ listen!" 

Marinette shut her eyes. There was too much to think about tonight. But Tikki wasn't done.

"Mari, this is  _serious!_ Do you  _want_ him to discover your secret identity?"

" _No!_ "She exclaimed, rubbing her eyes. "Listen, Tikki, it just--"

"Mari,  _listen to me_." Tikki began roughly, but took a deep breath. "Mari, this-- this is a bad idea. Chat Noir and Ladybug as a couple--- its not good."

"But  _why_ not? I'm not even  _saying_ that I'm gonna jump into a relationship with him --I'm just figuring things out... But even if I wasn't, what's so  _bad_ about it?"

Tikki covered her comically large head with her more comically tiny hands.

"Mari, what if you're in the middle of an attack, and you're so focused on him that you let something bad happen?"

"But Tikki he's my partner! I'm  _always_ worried about him! And that has never been a problem."

"It's  _not_ the same, Marinette." Ouch. Pulling out the full name. "If you're romantically involved with Chat, that makes you ten times more vulnerable! What if you fight? What if he breaks your heart? Are you willing to risk being akumatized?"

Marinette bit her lip. Tikki was making fair points but...

"Mari," Tikki called, softly this time. "Mari, I love you so much. I don't want you to get hurt... I don't want Chat to turn into a liability... Do you understand?"

Marinette nodded silently, and Tikki rested on her upturned hand. With a sigh, the girl opened her eyes and looked at her kwami.

"I-I'm not even sure about Chat." She confessed. "I just... I was so confused with what happened today... I was so  _vulnerable_... I wasn't thinking straight." Marinette sighed and slumped her shoulders. "What do I do?"

Tikki smiled gently at her. "You don't need to have all the answers, Mari. Especially not right now. Lets go to bed and we'll think about it in the morning... alright?"

Marinette smiled and hugged her kwami against her face. Before going to bed though--

"Mari?" Tikki asked.

"Yeah?"

"Can I please have a cookie?"

Marinette smiled. She had never denied anything to her kwami.

She did not start tonight.

* * *

"You look like a moth watching television." Plagg told Adrien, who stared vacantly at his ceiling, thinking about everything that had gone down. Plagg popped another bite of cheese in his mouth. "Seriously, though, its weird. Congratulations. The girl likes you. Now can you  _please_ stop obsessing over her?"

Adrien sighed and sat up. "Its not that simple, Plagg."

Plagg groaned. "Of  _course_ its not that simple, you  _clown_. It never is with you, is it?"

"Mari likes Chat  _and_ Adrien. But she'd like  _Adrien_ more if she knew him better. Its so simple!"

Plagg snorted. "How much do you wanna bet that its gonna get dumber and more complicated?"

"Nonsense, Plagg." Adrien huffed. "Why don't you  _ever_ wanna see me happy?"

"Happy?" Plagg demanded. "Do you even  _know_ what you get yourself into, kid?" He snorted. "This girl likes  _both_ sides of you, so you're literally gonna approach her both ways until she's tearing her hair out of her skull."

"That's not gonna happen! I'll just go as Adrien."

"Oh, so she's  _not_ gonna miss you as Chat Noir? She's not gonna wonder why you stopped coming to her house at night?"

"W-well..."

"And afterwards, what exactly  _is_ your plan? You can barely hide your identity from your friends. From what I gathered, this girl is no idiot. If she becomes closer to you, she's gonna figure it out in a  _day_."

Adrien groaned and buried his face in his hands.

He was starting to hate being a superhero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOOK HOW TACKY I AM


	7. Ol' Switcheroo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which probability is disregarded and kwamis give a piece of their minds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there are ACTUALLY people who read this and comment.
> 
> i love you ALL
> 
> you are wonderful creatures and you all deserve to find 5 dollars in the ground. thank you for staying with me <3

Tikki wasn't particularly happy on Monday.

Saturday had been a bit much for her, in terms of emotions. Anything that upset Marinette, upset Tikki. Not only that, Tikki was  _excessively_ protective of her charge, and having not one, but  _two_ boys in kissing distance of her little Mari was  _not_ okay.

Now don't get her wrong. It  _definitely_ wasn't that Marinette wasn't clever enough, or strong enough, or, well, anything enough to deal with the swarm of boys who inevitably would throw themselves at her wonderful feet. 

It was just that Tikki wanted to avoid anything that could hurt her, ever. Was that so wrong?

Level with her on this; she was a thousands of years old tiny god who lived from human to human, all of who had such a light inside of them that she couldn't help but love unconditionally. It was just the way it was. Tikki loved her charges, and she protected them all. Marinette wasn't the exception.

So when suddenly the incarnation of chaos came on one side, and Monsieur Oblivious on the other, both  _on the same day_ , Tikki had to do  _something_ to control the inevitable damage that was bound to come.

She sighed. Why couldn't Mari date someone like Alya?

Marinette was looking at herself in the mirror, making sure that everything was okay. And then some.

Tikki sighed. She knew what Mari looked like when she was stalling.

"If you don't hurry, you're going to be late!" she encouraged. Marinette simply seemed awfully invested in ripping out a piece of string from her jacket. "You can't avoid Adrien forever."

Marinette flinched when she heard the name. Tikki groaned.

 _This_ is what bothered her about Ladybugs being adolescents. 

"He's not going to be angry at you, okay?" She said, floating up to Marinette's eye-level and smiling encouragingly. "He said it himself... he was out of line."

Marinette stopped pretending to ruffle through her desk for a pair of scissors. She hung her head and sighed.

"But... was he?" Marinette turned to face Tikki, looking concerned. "I mean... I  _was_ encouraging... I... maybe it's my fault."

Tikki frowned and flew closer to Marinette's face. "You didn't owe him anything." She explained. "You don't have to feel bad because you didn't want someone to kiss you, okay?"

Marinette looked unconvinced, but nodded anyways. Tikki rested on her palm and smiled encouragingly. "Let's go, you'll be late to class."

With a nod, Marinette headed out her door.

* * *

Plagg hadn't slept much last night.

Unbeknownst to most people, Adrien Agreste was the  _worst_ roommate in history.

See, it wasn't easy living with a teenage boy.  He was always moving around, he left his clothes  _everywhere_ (and most of them were after sports clothes and  _ugh_ ), would spend too much time on the phone, spent all day  _pining_ over something as meaningless as girls, and  _always_ needed Nino's opinion on everything. 

But the worst part of all, was this:

Adrien talked in his sleep.

And  _no,_ it wasn't a soft mumbling that could easily be ignored by simply moving to the other side of the bed. It was clear enunciation, correct grammar and every once in a while, some humming.

Plagg had thought that he'd seen everything, but _boy_ was he wrong. Last night, Adrien had been the most  _obnoxious_ , loud, disturbingly specific,  _entire dialogues_ about his complete and utter hormone-induced confusion in regards to the girl with black hair.

Needless to say, Plagg was  _not_ happy.

Adrien rushed through his morning routine, as always, mumbling something or another about school. Frankly, at this point it was all white noise to Plagg.

"--What if she's angry?" he finished, and looked expectantly at Plagg. The latter did his absolute best to demonstrate through facial features how completely and utterly uninterested he was in the conversation.

Adrien still watched him hopefully.

Plagg sighed.

"I don't think she's angry." He said curtly. "She didn't  _look_ angry when you left, and when you talked to her as Chat she was  _still_ not angry. So  _why_ would she be angry now?" Plagg demanded. "You wanna know  _who's_ angry?  _I'm_ angry. You haven't let me sleep in  _two nights, Adrien_."

Adrien had the good grace to look abashed and scratched the back of his neck.

"Oh... yeah... Sorry about that." He said sheepishly. Plagg grumbled in response.

"Be sure to stock up on cheese. I intend to nap in your pocket until lunch. Then I'm gonna stuff myself and then I will go back to sleep."

"So, the usual." Adrien grinned. Plagg glared.

"Don't push your luck, kid. I know where you get tickles."

Adrien rolled his eyes and soon headed out of the door.

* * *

The day started exactly as one would imagine.

Adrien walked in by himself. Everything inside his stomach was a jumble of nerves and he found himself swallowing nothing every seven seconds. As he walked in, he just couldn't help himself, and his gaze found itself directed at Marinette's seat. Which Marinette occupied. At this precise moment.

Adrien blushed and looked away, tearing his eyes from Marinette.  _Was_ she angry? No, Plagg was right, right? She had no reason to be angry... besides, she was such a reasonable girl. Surely everything would be fine, right?

That still didn't make taking steps towards his seat--ergo, closer to her--any easier.

If it wasn't for the fact that Nathanael kind of crashed into him while walking in, Adrien was sure he'd probably still be there, looking at the floor.

He took a deep breath and found his seat, carefully avoiding everything beyond his range of sight. But  _of course_ he could hear Alya, and though he couldn't really make what she was saying, he was pretty sure he heard his name a couple of times.

Adrien sighed. He'd really made a fool out of himself.

Who knew if he'd have a chance at a friendship with Marinette now.

He felt a soft, almost timid tap on his shoulder. Frankly, the last thing he wanted to do was turn around, but hey, the world didn't exactly revolve around his wishes, so whatever. Adrien turned around, and of course, who else would it be.

Marinette was leaning over her desk, a blush in her face that made her eyes stand out beautifully, the hand she'd used to tap him retracted, as if she'd been burned. On the other hand she held a box quite similar to the one she'd held on Friday. Unlike him,  _she_ was brave enough to try to look at his eyes. As soon as her gaze found his, he was lost.

"Hey," she said quietly, and definitely not without reservation. "Since you, uhm, left early on Saturday you didn't have a chance to try the cake we baked..." she cleared her throat, her blush deepening. "I brought you some leftover... y'know, in case you wanted it."

And just like that it was as if the box in which Adrien's lungs had been caught since Saturday suddenly opened up and let them free. He drew a deep breath for what seemed like the first time in days and felt something inside of him lighten enough to smile nervously. He scratched the back of his head. 

"Is it... edible?" he joked. "I don't think I'd trust something  _I_ made."

He felt the blood leave his face as he realized the implications of what he was saying. Did she think this meant that he didn't trust  _her_ cooking? Did she think this was an inappropriate time for a joke? I mean, it  _could_ be a bad time. Its just-- she could  _still_ be mad, like,  _right now_ , and all the zen and tranquility that she'd used up with his dumbness on Saturday would be used up and--

"Well,  _I_ had some on Saturday and I'm still alive," she joked. "Sorry, I don't think you classify as a poison assassin quite yet."

Adrien felt the stress and tension undo a little in his shoulders. He really needed to stop freaking out. This was Marinette. She was the coolest, nicest, sweetest and most wonderful girl he'd ever met. He really needed to stop assuming that everything he did would screw things up.

Meanwhile, Plagg snored peacefully inside his pocket.

Adrien took the box from Marinette's hands and his heart lifted. Maybe there was still a chance, right?

_CRASH!_

"I am  _le Concierge!_ " The new creature roared inside the main hall of the school.

Adrien groaned out loud.

_Why now?_

Students had already begun scrambling out of their desks and towards the classroom door. Adrien took a second to appreciate his ill luck and hung his head in shame for the space of two breaths before he felt a hand grab him by the wrist and shove him towards the door.

"Come on, Adrien! You need to find cover!" Marinette yelled as she pushed him towards the door. He reached back to try to grab her hand and pull her with him, but the crowd carried him away from Marinette. 

He tried to sweep past the crowd and into the classroom again, but he only felt the air knocked out of his chest as Sabrina crashed against him, making him double in pain for a second before catching himself. He heard her hasty apology as she ran towards Chloé, trying to find somewhere to hide.

After taking a second to regain his breath, Adrien scuttled away between the crowd to find somewhere quiet to transform.

He eyed the broom closet.

Perfect.

* * *

Marinette was alone in the classroom.

Perfect. 

She'd successfully evacuated all the students ( _she'd taken Adrien by the hand!)_ and was now ready to transform. She opened her jacket pocket to find Tikki and--

Marinette froze.

"Tikki?" She called. She shed the jacket immediately. She turned it inside out. She checked  _every pocket_. Her purse. Her bag. Her  _lunchbox_.

When she was done checking everywhere, she panicked.

"Tikki!" She called, over and over again, ruffling through everything in the classroom, praying that her kwami would be around. "Tikki!"

Of course, she wasn't.

Marinette put both hands at the sides of her head and screamed.

* * *

Tikki was panicking.

She'd made a  _huge_ mistake.

Oh,  _why_ would she do this?

She hid her face behind her hands. She'd gotten tangled  with the handkerchief that Marinette  _insisted_ on using to wrap her box-gifts with and by the time she'd tried to get out, Adrien already had the box (ergo,  _her_ ) in his hands. The moment she managed to release herself from the insistent piece of cloth, somebody knocked into Adrien, and Tikki hit her head  _hard_ against his chest, enough to knock her out.

The last thing she felt as she faded out was a warm hand underneath her.

Now, as she came to, the first thing she were a pair of  _huge_ green eyes and parted lips with buck teeth and yellow eyebrows that were practically lost in his hairline.

Tikki groaned.

"Y-y-you--" Adrien began dumbly, but Tikki had too much of a headache already. She needed to get back to Marinette. Fast.

"Uhm, hi." She said rather curtly. "I... need to find Ladybug."

Adrien looked at her, dumbstruck. "Y-you're Ladybug's kwami!"

Tikki flew upwards from Adrien's palm. She didn't like resting there. "Clever." She put her eye to the keyhole, waiting.

A few seconds passed, and she saw the new akuma. One more time, she groaned.

"I can't go to Ladybug now." She grumbled. This was turning out to be a bad day.

"So-- wait, if you're her kwami... that means she's in my class!" Adrien exclaimed, gaping. Tikki hid her face behind her hands.

"Listen, I really  _can't_ be answering questions that jeopardise the identity of Ladybug, but no, she's not in your class." Tikki lied. "I just misplaced my charge when people started going crazy."

Adrien nodded, and Tikki saw him place a hand over his chest, and his eyes flicker a little in preoccupation. Tikki didn't bother asking.

"Listen--" she began, but Adrien interrupted her.

"Is there anything I can do to help you get back to her?" He asked. Tikki just stared at him for a few seconds. "I know she's the only one who can purify an Akuma... so you need to get to here fast, right?"

Tikki pressed her lips together and nodded. It was hard to dislike Adrien when he was being useful.

"Right now..." She took a deep breath. "Right now the Akuma's out there, so I can't move without drawing attention at myself."

Adrien nodded again, "so, if we wait for it to cross the hallway I can create a diversion while you go find your charge, right?"

"I can't let you put yourself in danger like that," Tikki countered. Adrien just smiled a little. 

Begrudgingly, Tikki admitted that he was... good.

"Its okay, I won't be in danger for long. You just make sure to find Ladybug... I'll be sure to run, fast as I can." He grinned. "I'm in pretty good shape, don't worry about me."

She wasn't convinced, but this was the closest thing to a plan she could come up with.

Oh, what was Mari doing right now? Was she okay?

* * *

 

At the moment, Marinette was very busy freaking out.

Her back was pressed against the door, peeking out whenever she had the chance to see if Le Concierge was anywhere close. 

There he was, a huge...  _trash can_?... just strolling down the halls like its nobody's business.

Well guess what?

 _Its Ladybug's_ _business_.

Well, except for the fact that she wasn't actually Ladybug right now, y'know, and she wouldn't be unless she found Tikki soon.

Marinette studied the hallway for students or teachers, and was relieved to find that it was only Le Concierge. Good. This meant that everyone else was safe. Now if she could just--

Whoa, wait a second.

What was that?

She stood still, trying to find the source of movement she'd seen just a second ago and--there it was.

Marinette blinked a couple of times. Surely she was seeing things-- nope, there it was again.

There was a tiny black figure, which looked a lot like a cat, moving from door to door, as if looking for something.  She would honestly have dismissed it for a black bad, had it not been for the incredibly  _green_ eyes it had. 

Eyes that immediately locked into Marinette's.

With a little nod, Mari knelt down next to the door, opening it just a smidgen quietly, as not to draw the attention of Le Concierge. She was holding her breath until the little creature dashed inside the classroom and she could close the door.

They were safe.

She stood up again, scanning the room for the little creature, until she found it, sitting on her desk, pulling at the strings of her lunchbox. She blinked a couple of times.

"Uhm.. hi?"

The creature continued struggling against the linen she used to wrap her lunch in everyday. Mari felt a pang of worry for Tikki, who would always complain about this little habit of hers. Withought another word, she stepped closer and undid the knot that kept her lunch together, and the creature yelped in delight, immediately opening her lunch and diving for the quiche.

"Wow... you're a hungry little fellow, aren't you?" She mused. She'd have to get out of here soon.  _If only the Akuma wasn't just outside the door!_

The cat-thing continued eating until Marinette's lunchbox was empty, but she was far from lamenting. It leaned back and rubbed its belly with its front paw, making a satisfied purr.

"Alright, now that  _that's_ out of the way," the creature said and Marinette yelped in surprise, jumping a few feet behind.

"You can talk!" She exclaimed. 

"I'm a kwami." The creature explained. "The name's Plagg. I'm what makes Chat Noir tick." He made a little bow at Marinette. "Thank you for feeding --oh, its you."

Marinette looked at him more closely, almost slamming her palm against her face.  _Of course_ , it was Chat's kwami. Wow, she really hoped he wouldn't tell anyone how startled she'd been. For now-- wait.

"What do you mean 'oh, its me'?" 

Plagg looked at her with big, green eyes before floating around her for a little while, studying her.

"You're the girl Chat Noir keeps visiting." He said simply. Marinette blushed a little. 

"I--am not." She countered. Plagg circled her more closely.

"Huh." He said.

"What?"

Plagg shrugged. "I mean, you're pretty, but I don't see how you're better than cheese."

Marinette frowned. "Are you sure you wanna give me that attitude after you  _just_ ate my lunch? Took me a while to make it, you know?"

At this, Plagg lit up. "Wait, you made that?"

Marinette nodded.

"It was delicious. I demand more."

She raised an eyebrow at the floating kwami, who now floated just in front of her eyes. "It was the best quiche I've had in millennia!" He whined. "Please." He begged, and he pulled something suspiciously close to what Marinette called Chat's kitten eyes.

MArinette sighed. "I don't have any more on me." Plagg casted down his eyes. Marinette sighed. "But I  _suppose_ I could leave one every once in a while for your chosen to pick up for you."

Plagg's ears twitched as he heard this, and his eyes sparkled. Marinette couldn't help but laugh.

"Next time Chat comes to my house, I promise I'll give him something for you, okay?"

Plagg stood on Marinette's desk, her lunchbox forgotten, and bowed. "As My Lady says."

She had to bite back a laugh. It was then that it hit her.

"So wait --does this mean that Chat Noir attends to this College?" Marinette inquired. Plagg shrugged.

"Yeah. He's a dork, though. Nothing interesting there." 

For a second, MArinette despaired. 

NEither Chat Noir nor Ladybug could transform. This was  _bad_.

"Listen, Plagg--- I need you to find Chat Noir and transform, okay?" She begged. "I don't know how long the school is gonna last with this Akuma."

Plagg shrugged, rather irritatingly unconcerned. "Eh, Ladybug will be here soon."

MArinette had to struggle not to lose her patience. "She's been late before, hasn't she?"

Plagg sighed, and floated in the direction of the door. Before moving forward, he looked at Marinette one more time.

"You  _promise_ you'll send some quiche?"

Marinette nodded fervently. "As soon as Chat visits."

Plagg sighed and looked upwards. "I suppose the vents will do the trick." He said simply and floated towards the grate.

Marinette sighed in relief. At least they'd have Chat Noir here soon--

\--and she'd be late again.

* * *

Adrien peeked out through a crack on the door. 

"Just a few more minutes." He whispered. Tikki knew she was running out of time, but she wanted to say...  _something_ to this boy that kept playing with her charge's-- no, her  _friend's_ \-- feelings.

"Adrien," she called. It was now or never.

He turned to look at her. "Oh wow, you know my name."

Again, it annoyed Tikki how...  _"cute"_  he could be.

Tikki sighed. She should probably stop being so rude. "Yes. My name is Tikki, by the way."

Adrien smiled at her, and Tikki had to remind herself that she was angry.

"I've seen you around." She told him, doing her best to imitate what she heard was the "stink eye." Adrien did not look scared as much as he looked confused. "I've seen how girls see you."

Adrien managed to look even  _more_ confused. "I'm.. sorry?"

Tikki flew close to his face, pointing at his eye menacingly. "I've seen you. Girls swarm your car everyday." She lowered her tone of voice, hopefully to something more... edgy? "I'm just here to tell you that I am  _on to you_." She grumbled. "If something happens to  _my charge_ , my  _Ladybug_ , I just want to tell you that I can find out where you live. And I am a tiny  _god_." She snapped.

Adrien, _poor Adrien_ , was flummoxed. He looked inside of him for something to say, but before he could manage, Tikki flew out the door.

" _Now!"_ She yelled, a little too suddenly, and made Adrien stumble as he ran out. He regained his footing quickly, and ran in the opposite direction, drawing the Akuma away from Tikki.

He just hoped she'd find Ladybug soon, or he was in deep trouble.

* * *

Plagg was floating through the air vents of the school, which were  _not_ like the ones they  _used_ to build. These were too warm, and cramped, and it seemed like somebody had  _no concept_ of the word hygiene.

Ugh, he needed to find Adrien soon.

He found a grate and looked through it. Only the blond girl and the redhead huddling close. No Adrien.

Second grate. Girl with pink hair. No Adrien.

Oh man, how many would he have to  _look_ through? If there was only a sign---

" _Hey Concierge! How about you clean_ this _up!"_ Plagg heard, followed by a loud crash, and subsequently, the roar of an angry akuma.

Oh, there he was.

Plagg hurried in the direction of the voice, and soon enough he saw Adrien cornered against the bathrooms.

Quickly, he exited the air vents, hoping no one would see him, and exchanged a glance with Adrien.

Bathroom it was.

Plagg rushed in.

* * *

Tikki checked the classroom first. She was hoping that Mari----

"Tikki!" Marinette cried, rushing to meet her kwami. Everything that had made Tikki scared up until now vanished in a poof of smoke.

Everything was fine when she was with Marinette.

Tikki smiled at Marinette, before remembering the danger.

"There's no time for hugs. Adrien's in danger." She said soberly, and watched as the relief melted from Marinette's face, leaving it pale and scared. Oh, why did her charge have to care so much for that boy? "Come on, let's transform!"

There was a bright pink light that nobody in the school saw, and suddenly, Ladybug was ready to rumble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it took me so long to write this omg im sorry
> 
> i hope y'all like this chapter. i didn't have it as much in detail as the last one, but i worked on it and i think its neat. Luckiy i have something in the works for the NEXT chapter already.
> 
> also im mourning homestuck so my emotions are all over the place.


	8. The Worrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Chat does something questionable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry its taken me so long to upd8, i started working this week

Even as he was transforming, Chat could hear the noise of Ladybug slamming against Le Concierge. He almost felt bad for the Akuma.

Almost.

HE stepped out of the bathroom and into the battle zone with his characteristic swiftness, dodging the trashcans that Le Concierge threw his way as soon as he was spotted. Chat, in turn, jumped on top of one of the school's benches, right next to Ladybug.

For a moment he was scared she was angry about his attitude last time, but as he stole a glance from her, he noticed she had a sheepish smile that made his heart falter.

"Today I'm the one who was on time,  _Chaton_." She smiled, not taking her eyes off of the Akuma. Chat grinned.

"The bruises in my ribs appreciate it, my Lady." He stole a glance from her, and saw her beautiful figure outlined against the midday sun and his heart skipped a beat.

Oh, right.

He liked her too.

He'd been so into thinking about Marinette these past few days, and so angry at Ladybug that he'd forgotten how she made his heart race. 

He was so busy contemplating, a trashcan barely missed him.

What  _was_ it with flying projectiles and him these days?

As always, Ladybug's every move was on point. Every dodge, every move she made was like a well-rehearsed dance that did not lack the beauty of spontaneity, and his heart was on his throat---

But his thoughts flew back to Marinette.

Was she okay? He'd seen her in the classroom. Should he go check on her? No, Ladybug needed him. But what if Marinette needed him too?

When had Marinette gone so high up in his list of priorities?

He heard a grunt and watched Ladybug get slammed against a wall. No time to think about this. He jumped into action.

It took only a flying kick to topple le Concierge back, away from Ladybug. She looked a little dazed from the hits, but otherwise okay. Chat had to focus.

He only allowed himself to look back at the classroom one more time before focusing for real on the battle.

Unfortunately, that second was enough for le Concierge to recuperate himself and punch him against the classroom's outer wall, propelling copious amounts of tin that only barely managed to miss his body. He screamed in pain and heard the windows shatter inside the classroom. 

"Chat!" He heard, and his blood froze. Marinette? 

He opened his eyes and looked side to side. He couldn't find her. She was safe, right? She  _had_ to be.

Before le Concierge could come closer to him, he saw Ladybug powerkick him away, landing right in front of him like a shield. She looked over her shoulder to make sure he was okay. "Chat? Can you stand?"

He took a deep breath and threw himself forward, landing right next to his companion and grinning. "Try and stop me, my Lady."

And the battle started for real. There were kicks and punches and yelps. Yells of 'Chat' and 'Ladybug' galore. Chat rolled on the ground a couple of times, and Ladybug was closely acquainted with the trashcans, and more than once a mop, but in the end LAdybug called her Lucky Charm, which was, surprisingly, a red and black polkadot tie.

"Maybe you're supposed to _tie_ him up." Chat grinned. Ladybug shot him an annoyed glance. "Oh, come on, my Lady, we need to hurry, or this will end in a  _tie_."

"Chat, you are six seconds away from a punch on the stomach."

Chat grinned cheekily and they sprung into action. There was no need for them to form a plan. Chat immediately fell into the role of distraction while Ladybug snuck in from behind, ready to steal his mop and break it in half, still not entirely sure how the tie fell in.

Le Concierge was, according to plan, focused solely on Chat. He threw copious amounts of trashcans in his direction, missing every time. Chat simply hooted with laughter.

"Hey, Concierge! I think you should change the name of those trash _cans_ to trash _can'ts,"_ he yelled. This seemed to infuriate the akuma even more.

Frankly, it would infuriate  _anyone_.

Chat wasn't sure what happened, but something tipped le Concierge off to the presence of Ladybug behind him, and before either one knew it, he pointed two trashcans in the direction of the heroine and unleashed a wave of garbage.

Ladybug, in a fit of quick reflexes, used her yoyo against his extended arms, holding them together and pulling herself closer to him. Using her momentum, she flew past his head, using the tie to cover his eyes and hold him back for a second.

"Chat! Break the mop!" She yelled, and Chat, quick as a cat, complied. A loud  _crack_ resonated, and just then, le Concierge turned into darkness and melted into a gentle old man, kneeling on the ground with a confused expression on his face.

Ladybug purified the Akuma in no time, and caught up with Chat no sooner, a small, tentative smile on her lips.

"Hey," she said gently, still obviously a little nervous from last time. Chat felt guilt press at his chest.

"Hey..." He replied, just as softly. "About last time..."

Ladybug raised her hand, palm forward. "No, you were totally right. I need to be more careful... I promise I'm going to work on that." 

A smile bloomed from Chat's lips.

How was it possible to love two women so much?

He froze. His ears perked up. He shot his head over his shoulder. Ladybug looked at him, concerned.

"Chat? What's wrong?" She asked, but Chat was already halfway through the hall.

"Marinette! She was in the classroom where the glass exploded!" He ran, fast as he could, to the classroom.

Marinette was fine, right? She had to be! Ladybug's miraculous light would've healed her anyways...

But the thought of his blue eyed friend, hiding under a desk, scared out of her wits, and possibly crying in fear, was too much for Chat to handle. When he opened the door, he nearly ripped it from its hinges and checked inside ---empty.

"Marinette? Marinette!" He called desperately, feeling fear ice his heart. He was  _sure_ he'd seen her here, there was no way she could've hid somewhere else... right?

"Chat?" She heard the small voice come from behind him. As he turned around, he saw Marinette, looking rather breathless, with pink-stained cheeks. Chat's relief overcame him like a flood. He rushed towards her.

"Mari, are you okay?" He almost begged her. He looked her over, making sure that everything was where it belonged. "You were in the classroom and the windows--"

Marinette smiled soothingly and pressed his hand in hers. "I'm fine, Chaton. I hid under the teacher's desk until it was over and then I went out as soon as I saw the purifying light. I wanted to see if Adrien was okay.

Chat's bloodpressure dropped. 

Oops.

Marinette frowned. "I can't find him though... I could've sworn he went into the janitor's closet."

Chat scratched the back of his head. "Oh Adrien... yea... I saw him.... run in the other direction at some point." He looked at her one more time, worryingly. "Are you sure you're okay? I can take you to the doctor to get checked. Maybe you have PTSD, or maybe you're in shock..."

Marinette simply smiled at him disarmingly again and shook her head. "I'm fine, Chaton. Just go. The press will be here soon... and I don't think you wanna handle them by yourself."

Chat sighed. Of course she was right. But wait--

Chat looked around. There was no Ladybug to be seen.

"She must've left already...." He sighed, and turned again to see Marinette. Her eyes were sparkling. He cleared his throat. "Can I come see you tonight?"

And  _wow_ , he could see how that question could be misinterpreted, and it was almost enough to make him blush but--

"I'll be waiting for you." She smiled, and not for the first time, Chat had a very hard time not kissing her.

Students were beginning to trickle back into the hall. It was time for Chat to go.

With one last, lingering look at Marinette, he left to detransform.

* * *

 

At 8 o'clock sharp he was waiting in her roof, faithful as any cat had a right to be. He thought about the events of that day, and how much the balance in his mind was toppling in regards to the two women he loved.

He'd had a terrible moment of weakness. Had he actually considered leaving Ladybug to fend for herself in the name of protecting Marinette? How terrible a partner could he be?

But this did not change his feeling in the slightest, and it did not change the fact that his heart always slowed when Ladybug was in danger, but when he'd thought Marinette was hurt, it had stopped completely.

It was as if his mind was finally sorting itself out, and his Lady wasn't coming out on top this time.

What a terrifying thought.

"Look who's on time?" The breeze carried Marinette's gentle voice towards him, wrapping him in warmth. Even before he turned to see her, there was already a smile on his lips.

"My Princess," he said lazily, but full of devotion. He watched her walk slowly towards him and lean on the railing next to her. "I was worrying you might have forgotten about me."

Marinette raised her chin and felt the late spring breeze caress her. It pained Chat how much she took his breath away, the same way Ladybug had.

"Chat, I couldn't forget about you even if I tried. Your puns chase me in my dreams."

He grinned winningly, though inside his heart fluttered. "So you dream about me?"

Marinette laughed and shook her head, not answering. Chat fell in love with the gesture, the same way he fell for all of them.

She pulled herself together and hugged her arms, shivering a little.

"I always forget how cold it gets out here." She confessed. "I should go get a jacket."

This was the most antagonistic thought for Chat. He most certainly did  _not_ want her to go anywhere without him. He had a thought.

Without saying anything, Chat stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her chest, resting his hands on her upper arms and lowering his chin to her shoulder. For a second, Marinette tensed, but soon relaxed, and that little gesture was enough to fill up Chat with giddiness and joy.

"Just like in the refrigerator." He mused. He couldn't see her face, but he felt the heat of her skin to know she was blushing.

"Yes, one of the multiple times that I had to save your skin." She said with forced lightness, as if she was nervous. Chat didn't let go. Not unless she asked him.

"Do you want me to step away?" He asked gently. A few seconds of silence as Chat's nerves hung on the balance.

"No," she replied softly and pressed her back against his chest. "I kinda like it."

Marinette smelled like flowers and bakery. He could get drunk on that scent.

"I heard you found a fan of your cooking." He said lightly. "Plagg's been raving all day about your quiche." Marinette laughed a little. "If I were a jealous cat, I'd be  _offended_ that you shared your food with him before you did with me."

The night was brighter. She was smiling, he knew.

"If you don't give me some to take home, he's not going to let me sleep tonight." He added.

"Well, that sounds like a personal problem, doesn't it?" Marinette joked. Chat laughed a little, but the laughter was sucked out of his lungs as he was overwhelmed with the feeling of  _rightness_ here and now.

The silence grew pregnant for several minutes.

"Marinette?" He asked, tentatively. His mind had run away from him. He was about to do something completely idiotic.

"Hm?" She asked, not taking her eyes from the parisian skyline.

"I trust you," he said gently, and tightened his grip, just a little. "You know that, right?"

Marinette tried to shift, confused, but Chat held her still.

"When I asked you not to look at me, you didn't. Every time I see you I feel it more and more." He explained. He felt Marinette shift again, but only continued talking. "I thought I'd never be able to trust someone as much as I trusted Ladybug."

"Chat..." She began, but he disregarded her.

"I hope you won't be disappointed." Was the last thing he said before he released his transformation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel that it isn't my usual quality, and i really apologize for that... its been a really long week


	9. The Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marinette has to deal with a surplus of unexpected information.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i NEVER expected the last chapter to have so many reactions! Thank you!!!
> 
> That being said, should anyone be interested, I began a new story: its called The Two Of Us and a post-superhero Marinette and Adrien getting married for financial aid

Marinette was surprised to find that the transformation tingled from the other side as well.

She felt tiny, not-unpleasant pricks on the back of her neck and on her upper arms, where Chat's hands rested as he hugged her from behind. His warm breath prickled against her cheek softly, cutting through the cold night air as easily as if it were butter.

The green glow from behind her ceased. So had her breathing.

She did not move.

"Chat," she choked, closing her eyes tightly, regaining her grip on bewilderment. Her world unpaused and she felt rising panic upon her chest. Her hands flew towards her face and she covered her eyes. "Chat! What are you doing?" She demanded.

Chat held her tighter.

"Open your eyes." He said softly-- no, not said. He  _begged_. "Mari,  _please_ open your eyes."

Marinette's hands remained glued to her face, their only opening on her lips so that she could speak, though at the moment she was terrified of what she might say, and, even more so, terrified of dropping her hands.

"Chat, you  _can't_ do this." She persisted, scrambling around with her words at his mind, digging for a shred of the sanity he clearly must've lost. "You  _can't_."

"Actually, he  _can_." Marinette heard a voice that was clearly not Chat's speak. It took her a moment to place it.

"Plagg?" She asked weakly. The kwami sounded like he was in front of her.

"I came here for my quiche." He informed her with no reservations.

At this point, Marinette frankly wanted to hit them both: Chat for his lack of reasoning, and Plagg for his lack of seriousness.

"Marinette," Chat whispered, and she wasn't sure if it was the cold wind, or his hot breath, or the tone of desperation in his voice what made her shiver. The tensin in her body wanted to come undone. She was made of fake plastic about to melt. Her hands wanted to fall limp at her sides, as if they'd been carrying the weight of the world and now needed a rest. "Marinette, please."

She heard Plagg speak next.

"He is allowed to show you who he is." Plagg explained with no hint of emotion, so unlike Tikki. "There is no rule against it. It lacks common sense, yes, but this Chat Noir never had a surplus of that anyways."

Her hands threatened to fall from her face. When she spoke, she spoke to Plagg.

"I thought they  _couldn't_ reveal themselves."

Even without seeing him, Marinette had the impression that Plagg shrugged. 

""Can't" is a big word. Its not advisable, but he wouldn't be my first charge to do it." Plagg explained. He sounded bored, Marinette noticed. "I'm going inside, preferably to find something to eat. Find me when you're both done being dramatic."

And just like that, Plagg's voice was gone, and Marinette felt the distinct embarrassment of being alone and in a very compromising position.

She waited for Chat to beg again, but he didn't. He only held her.

From within herself, Marinette found some sort of courage and held on to it as if it were slippery. She didn't open her eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" He voice was so small, it was almost carried away by the wind. Chat's embrace relaxed, only slightly.

"I'm so tired," he whispered, and his voice almost broke her heart. "I'm so _tired_ of being by myself." 

Marinette felt the need to comfort him --to hug him-- but she couldn't. Not without uncovering herself. Instead, she pressed herself against him, her back against his chest, if only to give him the feeling that he was not alone.

He understood her gesture, and his fingers let go of the pressure in her arms, and simply touched her gently.

"What about Ladybug?" She asked, though her words were carried by the wind. Chat buried his face on her hair and took a deep breath --so deep that she felt he was drawing her strength out of her.

"Do you remember what you said about not knowing enough to love a person?"

"Yes."

"I think you were wrong," he said softly against her hair. "I think knowing that someone is kind and brave and wonderful is enough to love them," his voice splintered, "but only if they let you."

Marinette was quiet for seven beats.

"She doesn't let you?" She asked, finally. It didn't matter. She knew the answer.

"Its okay," he said without answering. "Its okay if she doesn't. I will still love her."

Marnette's heart faltered and twisted in pain.

"If you still love her why are you here?"

His fingers roamed her arms gently, caressing her as if they were lovers and this was just another day, and not as if their entire existence was about to shatter into the night.

"She's my partner. I will always love her."

"You haven't answered."

"Its because I love you, too."

Every seam that held her together snapped right then. Everything inside her came undone. The only thing holding her together were his arms around her. He didn't know that he was all that kept her being a person instead of melting in the ground like a thousand different emotions and feelings and confusions and questions.

Without opening her eyes, she removed her hands from her face and crossed them over her chest, placing them gently upon where his hands rested. They were cold and nervous, but she covered them completely and intertwined her fingers with his. The movement was clumsy and nervous for the both of them, but they did not stop, and they did not speak, until their hands were a jumble of fingers and affection.

"You're making a mistake," Marinette said, but she already knew the battle was lost.

"Then its the best mistake I'll ever make."

"You could ruin your life."

"I'm willing to risk it."

"Why?" She begged. Chat kissed her temple.

"Because I trust you."

Every time he said that, she felt as if her skin were frayed. How could he trust her? How could he  _love_ her, when all she had done was trick him, and hide from him the fact that she was Ladybug? She kept leading him by the nose, watching him suffer from loving two different women that happened to be one and the same.  _How_ could he love someone that wilfully hurt him so much?

"What if I'm lying to you?" She asked, desperate,  _desperate_ to gain the reins on her heart.

"Then I will still love you."

"How can you say that?" Her own voice began cracking, like the weight of everything was becoming too much for her and the world was falling. "How can you  _know_ that?"

He nuzzled closer to her hair.

"Because I've been lying to you, too." He confessed, and Marinette's throat closed up. "And I have to believe that you will forgive me for it."

"Chat..."

"Mari, please look at me." He begged once more. "Look at me, and forgive me."

"I forgive you," she whispered, and knew it was true. Whatever it was, she'd forgive him.

Cat spoke as if he hadn't heard her.

"Forgive me for lying." He begged. "And forgive me for disappointing you."

Marinette's heart twisted in its axis over and over, sending pain to the tips of her fingers.

"You could never disappoint me."

"Then look at me."

Marinette pressed her lips together and closed her eyes tighter. Without a word, she broke free from Chat's embrace and twirled around to face him, eyes still shut tight. With a leap of valour and bravery, Marinette stood on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips against Chat's, both hands on his cheeks marvelling at the lack of a mask.

Chat kissed her back and she tasted the fear in his lips, but she kissed it away.

Cold wind blew but they were both immune.

* * *

Plagg had flown inside Marinette's room and sat on her bed.

He'd looked around, but there was nothing to eat.

The vague sensation of something familiar lingered on the air, and Plagg looked around curiously, trying to find its source.

He flew around the room once again, finally stopping to rest on Marinette's boudoir. One drawer was slightly ajar, and the presence seemed accentuated there. He leaned over to take a peek and---

A blur of red and black and blue clouded his vision so suddenly, he yelped back.

"Has no one ever told you not to go around snooping through girl's things?" Tikki demanded. Plagg's jaw dropped.

" _Tikk_ i?!" He demanded, and the red kwami smiled cheekily.

"Its been a long time, Plagg." She said, not  _nearly_ as surprised as Plagg would have expected to be.

"What..?--Wait, that  _girl_ is Ladybug?" Plagg asked, shocked. In a second things began falling into place in his head, and he wanted to smack himself straight in the face for not noticing sooner. 

"One of my better charges, I must say," Tikki smiled and looked at Plagg. "I don't think I can say the same for yours though."

Plagg looked at her ruefully. He was the  _only one_ allowed to tease Adrien.

"Wait, how did you know it was Adrien?" Plagg asked. Tikki flew back to the boudoir and sat down at the edge.

"I ran into him at school. He said 'you're Ladybug's  _kwami_.'" Tikki explained. "There was no way a non-miraculous user would know what a kwami is."

Plagg sighed and lfew to sit next to Tikki.

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag anyways. Adrien's confessing right now."

Tikki frowned. "Didn't you tell him it was a bad idea?"

Plagg shrugged. " _You're_ the one who's super against it." He said, and looked outwards. Marinette still hadn't turned around, so it was only Adrien holding her from behind. "Besides... if she's Ladybug, I suppose there would be worse people to tell."

Tikki made a thoughtful noise.

"I.. don't think Marinette's going to reveal herself." She confided. Once again, Plagg shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't care. I just came in to find food." Plagg snorted. "I mean, its great and all that he's telling Ladybug, but seriously,  _who cares_. As long as we trap Papillon its all good."

Tikki groaned. "You don't ever think of repercussions, do you?"

"Why should I? I have  _you_ to do that for me."

Tikki rolled her eyes. "You can't tell Adrien that Mari's Ladybug."

Plagg shrugged. "Whatever. He'll find out eventually. And hopefully, he'll let me sleep."

Tikki laughed. "Bad times?"

Plagg rolled his eyes. "You got the good charge this time."

Tikki beamed. She'd already known this.

"However," Tikki added, her expression darkening. "I'm not sure Ladybug and Chat Noir together is a good idea..."

Plagg snorted again. "Try to stop them.  _When_ have you  _ever_ managed to stop them from getting together?"

Tikki glowered but said nothing. After a moment, she was struck by a thought.

"I think I threatened your charge."

One last time, Plagg shrugged. "Its hard not to."

Without anything more to add, the kwamis looked anywhere that was not the balcony. 

Ugh. Teenagers.

* * *

Marinette placed her heels back upon the ground without opening her eyes.

Adrien had wanted nothing more than to chase her lips as she came back to the ground, but nervousness kept him tethered.

He swallowed dry.

"What was that for?" He asked, his lips still tingling with feeling, her scent still on his nose, invading every crevice on his mind.

"You're you." Marinette said simply. She still held his face in her hands, thumbs gently caressing his cheeks, forehead pressed against his. He saw her lashes fanned against her cheekbones and wanted nothing more than to see the blue beneath them. Marinette continued talking. "You can't ever disappoint me, okay?"

"Mari--" He began, but she rolled over his words.

"You  _can't._ " She pressed. "I  _need_ you to know that before I open my eyes."

"Okay."

"No,  _not_ okay." Marinette frowned, and every word she said was warmth that pierced his chest. "Whoever you are. Whatever you do, you're  _still_ Chat Noir.  _My_ Chat Noir. I want you to know this."

Adrien couldn't help it. His hand flew to hers on his face and he held it tight, pulling it slightly away from himself and kissing her palm gently. "Whoever I am?"

Eyes closed, Marinette nodded. "Whoever you are."

He held her hand tightly and took a deep breath. "Okay, Marinette." He licked his lips. "Open your eyes."

Slowly, ever so slowly, like the sun rising in the morning, Marinette's eyelids fluttered open. He was so close he could see her pupils readjust for a split second to understand the image in front of her.

To Adrien's complete terror, Marinette faltered.

"A-adrien?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but anchored to every inch of his heart and ready to rip it out of his chest if it was necessary.

Marinette stepped back, her hand coming with her, as she stared at him wide eyed. Terror began seizing Adrien from the depths of his core, like chains pulling him to the bottom of a well, but  _no_. Marinette had said... yes, he had to trust her.

That was what his heartbeat kept whispering at him.

_Trust her. Trust her. Trust her._

Her hand raised towards her face an she covered her mouth. Only now did Adrien notice that he hadn't taken a breath, but he didn't care. He watched her,  _begging_ for a positive reaction from her --any reaction would do, at this point.

"Adrien," she whispered. "Its... you?"

His mouth was completely dry.

"Disappointed?" He asked, fear dripping from every sound he made.

Marinette's eyes fluttered closed once again. When she opened them, they were trained on the ground, confused, scared, flummoxed... Adrien just wanted to come closer and hold er.

After an eternity of waiting, Marinette looked up at him again and licked her lips.

"I..."

He took a step forward unconsciously, terrified but drawn from the same light that was Marinette. He saw her cheeks flush deeply.

"I told you I liked you." Were the first words out of her mouth. She covered it immediately before casting her eyes down and looking around. Once again she began the series of hand gestures that always amused Adrien, but now scared him. "I... I didn't kiss  _you,_ but then I kissed you..."

She let out a high pitched squeak.

"I  _kissed_ you!" She freaked out. "I kissed you  _twice!_ "

"Oh my god, I kissed Adrien  _Agreste!_ " She pulled both her pigtails at the same time, wrapping her hear around the idea. When she raised her eyes, they were accusing.

" _You_ let me tell you about baking that cake... and about my feelings for--" Marinette groaned.

Her thoughts were all over the place, and it looked to Adrien as if she were chasing them like butterflies.

Most importantly though, she didn't look angry.

This injected hope into his heart.

"Wait." Marinette said, extending her palms forward, as if trying to pause the world. She raised her eyes at him. "Why did you think I'd be disappointed?"

Adrien was at a loss for words.

In his head it had made so much sense. Of course anyone would be disappointed to find out that underneath the great Chat Noir there was nothing other than plain ol' Adrien.

"You're... not?"

"I told you that---" Her eyes widened and she screeched. "Why did you let me say so many embarrassing things!"

"Marinette," he called, his consciousness losing contact with the rails of his heart. He needed to understand clearly. He walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Mari, are you angry?"

Marinette looked into his eyes thoughtfully, deeply and nervously, and took a few seconds to think her answer.

"I wish I hadn't told you a lot of things, frankly." She said, and Adrien's heart sank. She looked at him with kindness, though. "Mostly I'm embarrassed... but I understand how you couldn't tell me."

Adrien's jaw dropped. Marinette took a deep breath and once more cupped his face between her hands.

"Adrien," she said his name softly, as if not to scare him. He was already terrified. "You're my Chat." She said simply, and Adrien melted in her hands. She pulled him closer and hugged him in a way she had only ever hugged Chat. She pulled back and looked at his face again, as if she were seeing him for the very first time.

"I..." she took a deep breath and smiled. "I'm so happy its you." Was all she could say.

Adrien was overwhelmed with everything. These were the words he was dying to hear. These words penetrated his skin and made home in his heart and filled him with a glow that had only ever come from freedom. He pulled Marinette closer and hugged her tightly, loving the way she fit so perfectly against him. Her scent overwhelmed his senses, and for a moment he was away from Paris and through the gates of Paradise.

After a few minutes, he pulled back. What came next, he wasn't sure how to handle.

"I, uh," he began. Marinette looked at him, confused. Adrien blushed. How was it possible that he couldn't do  _this_ after revealing himself? 

He licked his lips. "Would you, uh," he cleared his throat. "Do you want to... you know... do, I don't know... something? Sometime? Maybe?"

Marinette's lips pulled back into a smile brighter than the full moon in Champs Elysees, and Adrien fell in love with her again. This love gave him courage.

"I wouldn't want you feeling that you're with a cardboard cutout." He grinned. 

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"I  _so_ regret telling you that."

Adrien's smile didn't falter. "I agree, its quite a cat-tastrophe."

Marinette stared at him blankly for a minute. "Oh god." She said quietly, and for a moment scared Adrien. She looked at him accusingly. "Those  _puns_. It was  _you_ all along!"

Adrien smiled his wildest grin.

He would never know that Marinette was as in love with that pure, precious smile as he was with hers.

"So?" He asked, nervous. "Date?"

Marinette smiled brightly. "Date." She began laughing wildly, as if struck by a ridiculous thought. "How am I going to explain this to Alya?"

In a rush of affection, Adrien kissed Marinette's forehead.

He could think of worse problems to have.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the amount of fluff is over the MOON.
> 
>  
> 
> hope y'all like it >D


	10. Friendly Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which teenagers are teenagers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this story has gotten such great reviews. Its such a pleasure to write it!
> 
> I confess that last chapter was my favorite, mostly cause im a sucker for fluff.
> 
> Lets see what comes out this time, shall we?

Marinette was 99% sure that her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

She couldn't  _possibly_ be this lucky.

But as she was arriving at school and saw Adrien waiting outside the doors, and his face lit up as she walked closer, it struck her that  _yes_ , maybe she  _could_ be this lucky.

She didn't even notice she was smiling so hard until her cheeks started hurting.

"Hey," she called out to him, still nervous. To her surprise, Adrien gave her a shy smile and scratched the back of his neck nervously. She felt a surge of confidence at knowing that this  _perfect_ boy liked her. "What? Cat got your tongue?" She teased, and somehow seemed to make it easier for Adrien.

An astute look appeared in his eyes and a sly smile took over his lips, only for half a second, as he stepped closer and whispered so only Marinette could hear him.

"The effect you have on me is de- _paws-_ tating, Princess." He grinned. Marinette rolled her eyes.

"So now I have to deal with this as  _Adrien_ too?" She groaned jokingly. Adrien shrugged, unpreoccupied. It filled Marinette's heart with light to see him this happy as his civilian self.

"My puns are the cat's meow."

"Your puns are  _paw-_ ful." She retorted, and Adrien laughed.

"You can't use two 'paw' puns so close to one another." He quipped, and all his earlier nervousness seemed to melt. For a moment, Marinette could almost forget that she was dealing with Adrien and not with Chat.

 _They're the same person._ She chided herself.  _Stop separating them_.

"I can pun however I want," she replied. "Now come on, we'll be late."

Marinette had no idea where she drew the confidence to talk to Adrien like this.

Or, well, actually she  _did_.

It was so much easier to deal with Adrien now that she knew he was Chat. It was as if that perfect picture of him had been drawn a moustache and a monocle, and it had stopped being some unattainable photoshopped madness.  

They walked to class side by side, stealing glances at each other at different intervals, which was a shame, because the looks they both missed were nothing short of awestruck.

When they arrived to class, Adrien turned his head, just to ask Marinette if they should sit together, but she beat him to the punch.

"I haven't told Alya yet." She smiled apologetically. "You left too late last night for me to call her, and, well, if she finds out at the same time as everyone else, I'm  _so_ dead."

Adrien laughed a little and nodded comprehensively. "Oh, if only you had a superhero to protect you from such dangers." He sighed mockingly.

Marinette laughed. "Trust me, you do  _not_ want to go against Alya on this. She might be worse than Lady Wif-." Marinette clamped her mouth shut.

Crap.

She wasn't supposed to know how difficult the fight had been with Lady Wifi. 

Lucky for her, Adrien didn't realize her slip, and simply laughed.

"Yeah, I think you're right. I would  _never_ want to face off against her." He chuckled, and Marinette giggled (mostly in relief).

They opened the door to the classroom, and Marinette definitely did  _not_ miss Alya's shifting eyes and the way her eyebrows flew up to her hairline. She also definitely did  _not_ miss the 'We'll talk later' look. 

They walked to their respective seating area, but it took them both a moment to actually take their seats. Honestly, Marinette wanted nothing more than to sit with Adrien right now. She'd been waiting  _forever_ for this.

She sighed. There would be other opportunities. Marinette quietly took her seat, and, after a second, Adrien did too, right in front of her as always. He leaned on the back of his chair and looked up at Marinette with a look that she had only ever seen Chat give Ladybug--

Her heart twisted.

She was still lying to him.

She was still dragging Adrien-- _Chat_ \-- through the mud by making him tear himself apart over two women. He had confessed to her his greatest secret. He had trusted her with all his heart --and she hadn't done the same.

If you had asked Marinette why she didn't reveal herself too, she would've told you that Tikki warned her against it. Now, if she were telling the  _truth_ about it, she would say that she didn't know.

Because that was the truth. She had no idea.

There had been nothing stopping Marinette from revealing herself to Adrien. Now that she knew that he had been her best friend all along... Now that she knew that he cared for her--

_loves. He said loves--_

as much as she cared for him, why  _would_ she not tell him? There was nothing to lose and everything to win.

And yet the words couldn't tumble out of her mouth, and as soon as she thought about saying them, her throat closed up and her breath left her lungs.

And then Adrien hugged her and kissed her forehead, and everything vanished from her mind except the feeling of being in his arms with his lips pressed against her skin.

So  _mayb_ _e_ it  _sort of_ slipped her mind. But that wasn't terrible, right?

_Right?_

At that moment, the teacher walked in, and Marinette heard not a word of class, losing herself on the glances Adrien kept stealing from her.

* * *

When lunch came around, Marinette was unceremoniously dragged into the girl's bathroom. She was unaware of her surroundings until she heard the door click and Alya spin on her heel with a predatory look in her eyes.

"Spill, Dupain-Cheng." She ordered. Marinette was  _totally_ not intimidated.

 _Totally_.

She considered playing dumb for a second, but decided against it. Instead, a cheek-splitting grin overtook her face and she hugged Alya with all her might.

Luckily, the girls had the best-friend telekinesis, which obviously all best friends have, and she needn't say more for Alya to understand what was going on.

"Oh my god!" She screeched as well, and hugged her best friend with pride and joy. "You two--? When?"

Marinette pulled back, but her smile didn't falter. She was blushing and her lips hurt, but somehow she couldn't be bothered to care.

"Last night." She confessed. She had forgotten to fill Adrien in on the lie she came up with, but it was okay, she'd do it later. "After the Akuma attack in school he walked me home and stayed there for a while... at one point we just sort of... kissed... and he asked me out."

Truth be told, she wanted to tell Alya everything. She wanted to share that she had fallen for her best friend ( _not_ that she'd tell  _that_ to Alya) and he had trusted her above all else with his secret, even if she hadn't trusted him with hers.

 _God_ she wanted to tell Alya that she was Ladybug. She wanted to  _so bad_.

But then why was she so resistant to tell Adrien?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Alya's ranting, which seemed to have been going on for a few minutes.

"So?" She asked, excitedly.

"S-sorry, I didn't hear you. Can you say that again?" 

Alya growled. "Pay attention! We're talking about the most important moment in your life so far!" She shook her head. "I said, 'where is he taking you?'"

Here, Marinette drew a blank.

"I.... didn't ask."

This time, Alya groaned.

"Sometimes I think I'm the  _only one_ invested in this relationship."

"It's not a relationship!"

"Not yet." Alya grinned. Marinette rolled her eyes. "Anyways, have you thought about what you're gonna wear? What am I even asking, I'll be in your house-- wait, when's the date?"

Again, Marinette blushed. 

"I... didn't ask that either."

Right then, Alya made a  _very_ good impression of someone who was about to throw something at the wall.

"Ugh, only  _you_ manage to get a date with Adrien and don't even ask  _when_."

There was the distinct sound of a phone clattering on the bathroom floor and a yelp that came from the stalls.

* * *

"So," Nino began, taking a bite out of his sandwich.  Adrien turned to look at him. "You have a crush on Marinette."

Adrien stared blankly at Nino for the span of about six seconds before actually replying. "Yeah, kinda."

Nino took another bite out of his sandwich. "Cool. She's cute."

Adrien smiled bashfully. "Yeah, she is."

"Where are you taking her?"

Adrien paused.

Where  _did_ one take a girl on a date?

"The... opera...?"

Nino was about to take another bite, but lowered his sandwich. With his free hand, he pat Adrien in the back.

"You poor, rich fool." Nino said condescendingly. "That's too much. Take her somewhere she'll appreciate."

Adrien, not for the first time, stared blankly. "Like what? Wait. What  _does_ she like? Where do I take her?" Adrien's hands flew to his head and he tugged at his locks firmly in stress.

Nino laughed at his friend and clapped him in the back.

"Dude,  _chill_." He chuckled. "Mari is super down to earth. You don't need to impress her... take her to dinner and a movie! That's always a great first date."

Adrien processed this for a second. "Dinner and a movie?"

Nino nodded sagely. "Movie first. That way, if you guys need to break the ice you can always talk about the movie during dinner."

Adrien watched his friend, agape. "That's brilliant."

Nino shrugged as he finished his sandwich. "Its been known to happen."

* * *

When the day was over, Adrien, very nervously, might I add, reached out to Marinette to settle the plans for their date.

Meanwhile, two  _very_ intrusive best friends were having a conversation.

"I can't believe Mari finally got a date with Adrien." Alya gushed. Nino leaned back against the rail from the stairs, relaxed. His face had the semblance of someone who had been expecting this. "What's got  _you_ looking like that?"

Nino shrugged. "It was about time. Mari's been hung up about Adrien for  _months_."

Alya blinked a couple of times. "And just  _how_ do you know that?"

Nino shrugged. "After that  _disastrous_ zoo date I put two and two together." He replied calmly. "Besides, Adrien's been tapdancing around his feelings for Mari too."

" _Adrien_ had  _feelings_ for  _Mari_?" Alya demanded. Nino laughed a little, relaxed.

"Not that he knew. But he was heading in that direction. Adrien's just not the brightest crayon in the toolbox."

Alya laughed a little at this analogy. 

It was totally a coincidence that their shoulders were only inches apart, and there was definitely not a blush in Alya's cheeks, and certainly  _not_ nervous fidgeting on Nino's side.

* * *

"So," Adrien began, for the umpteenth time.

"So." Marinette smiled. Adrien rubbed his neck.

"Is it weird that I find it easier to talk to you with my mask on?"

Marinette smiled uncomfortably. "Not at all."

Of course,  _she_ would know. She talked to Adrien better as Ladybug than she did as Marinette.

They were standing about ten feet from Nino and Alya, who were having the previous conversation. Marinette dropped her voice so that nobody could eavesdrop on them.

"I told you already," she said softly, and so intimately that it transported her back to the roof the night before. "Whoever you are, you're my Chat."

Adrien's face softened immediately, and he looked at her in a way she had only seen from Chat. It just slapped her in the face once again how this wonderful, wonderful boy was her best friend.

Gingerly, he reached for her hand, slowly and carefully, as if to allow her to retreat if necessary. Marinette intertwined her fingers with his happily, and felt a blush creep up her cheeks. Adrien looked the same.

Marinette wouldn't have been surprised if they looked like two tomatoes rolling into the sunset.

" _Adri-chou!"_ Chloe screeched in anger. Startled, both teens drew their hands back as if what they had been doing had been wrong.

Chloe stomped towards them, death in her eyes and metaphorical fire spewing from her mouth. Other students had turned to look at the commotion.

Chloe stepped in front of Marinette, eyes wild and frown so pronounced it distorted her face.

" _This_   _thing_ right here has been spewing lies about you, Adri-chou." She spat, talking to Adrien but not taking her eyes off of Marinette.

Marinette saw Adrien falter and look at her, and the fear in his eyes was enough for Marinette to read his thoughts.

Did he think she  _betrayed_ him?

Marinette's heart twisted at the thought.

"Chloe." Adrien said calmly, but the fear was still there. "What are you talking about?" It was almost a plea.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng is spreading lies about you!" She growled, poking Marinette's breastbone with her index. "Sabrina heard her tell her little friend that she  has a  _dat_ e with you."

Much to Marinette's dismay, she felt Adrien relax.

So he  _had_ thought she betrayed him.

"Chloe," Adrien's voice was half conceding, half warning, "let's talk about this somewhere else."

Chloe stomped her feet in anger, drawing even more attention to them. Marinette was too hurt to notice.

""Just expose her like the  _liar_ she is, Adri-chou. She deserves it!"

Adrien rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, speaking loudly for everyone to hear him.

"Marinette was  _not_ lying." He said, defeated. "We  _do_ have a date." He frowned at Chloe. "And I do not appreciate you making a show about it in front of the whole school."

Chloe's mouth fell agape, and without a word she stomped away angrily, dragging Sabrina with her back through the doors of school. Half the crowd watched Chloe storm out, and the other half watched Adrien and Marinette curiously. Adrien sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Mari." He said sincerely. Marinette was still trying to untangle herself from the cobwebs of the hurt he had inadvertently caused her, and simply smiled a little.

"Its nothing," she said, pushing her feelings down. 

Adrien scratched his neck. "It... kinda is." He pointed at all the kids on their phones. "More than one are contacting paparazzi. I don't think we're gonna have a quiet date, even if we try."

Marinette blinked, throwing dirt on her earlier thoughts.

"What did you have in mind?"

Adrien shrugged. "Nino had suggested dinner at a movie... I was sort of gonna run it by you?" He smiled awkwardly. Marinette thought for a few seconds.

"That sounds perfect." She smiled.

"Yeah... if you want half of Paris taking pictures of you."

Marinette cleared her throat. "Well..."

Adrien paused, looking at her expectantly.

"I mean, its not much, but I have netflix." She offered shyly. "And I can make quiche." She couldn't help but allow a smile to escape her lips, knowing  _full well_ that Plagg was listening. Judging by the way Adrien yelped, Plagg had  _definitely_ reacted to her words. "Or, you know, order take out or something." She blushed. "I know its not what you're used to-- in fact, its a dumb idea, forget I--"

But Adrien's face was the morning sun. His eyes shone brightly and all Marinette could see for a few seconds was green, green, green. Mischief and joy and kindness and trust and protection and strength.

Hurt inside her melted.

How could she blame him for tensing for a second when she was  _so_ scared of the same thing that she kept her secret? At least he'd been brave enough to share it.

"No!" Adrien interjected. "That sounds perfect! Sounds like the perfect date!" He smiled fully, unlike Chat and unlike Adrien, but a combination of both, and it took her breath away.

Marinette smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So," she began. "Friday?"

Adrien smiled too. "Friday."

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nino's highest stat is wisdom and if you don't think so fight me


	11. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the kids have a date with a twist (that's not really a twist)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god, look! its an update!
> 
> we haven't had one of those in two weeks!

As Adrien stood in front of de Dupain-Cheng Bakery at exactly 6.28 in the afternoon on Friday, he began shaking.

And I say shaking because he had only been lightly trembling up until now.

He took a deep breath as he closed the car door, eyeing Nathalie one last time and making a mental note to thank her eternally for the help she'd given him. It was because of her that he had managed to actually be here.

See, Gabriel Agreste couldn't care less if Adrien dated, and who (so long as she was conventionally pretty). He did, however, care that his son would skip any of his lessons in favour of hanging out with someone.

So there had been a  _slight_ mis-booking of his fencing lessons today. A mis-booking that had never,  _ever_ happened before in Adrien's life.

He leaned into the car once more and gave Nathalie a happy smile.

"Thanks, Nathalie." He whispered. Nathalie was looking out the opposite window.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She said professionally, but after all these years, Adrien could read the hint of satisfaction in her tone of voice. "We will pick you up at 10.30 sharp."

Adrien smiled. "No problem."

He slammed the door shut carefully and took a deep breath, smoothing the inexistent creases of his button-up shirt. 

(If it hadn't been for Nino, he would've shown up in a suit.)

He walked towards the glass door and pushed it open, palms sweating and chest constricting.

He heard the ring of a bell from far away, his mind reeling with anticipation and nervousness. A woman, beautiful, graceful, and  _identical_ to Marinette, looked up from her pastries and smiled a full 32-tooth smile at Adrien.

"Oh Adrien!" She cried happily, lifting the pass from the other side of the counter. She closed the distance between them quickly and took his face in her hands, looking at him lovingly. "Look at you! You look so handsome!" She smiled in a way that made her eyes crinkle and Adrien felt a surge of affection for her. "Mari has been  _so_ nervous about today, you know. She tried at  _least_ 8 different outfits. I don't think she would've settled for one if it wasn't for Alya!"

" _Maman!"_ He heard the horrified scream from the stairs. Adrien looked up to find the absolutely wonderful,  _beautiful_ girl he presently had a date with. She wore... no, it didn't matter what she wore. In fact, he could barely see the clothes in her. He was too overwhelmed with her entirety, the way you cannot find the craters of the moon because you're too busy staring at its glow.

"Oh, hush darling, its not like its untrue!" Sabine said, placing a gentle hand on Adrien's shoulder. Warmth radiated from that spot, and Adrien felt the sentiment of familiarity envelope him. "Besides, I'm  _sure_ he took his time picking out his outfit, too." Sabine turned to look at him.

He looked up to Marinette and smiled bashfully. "Two hours." He laughed nervously. Marinette couldn't stop a smile from tugging her lips. 

Sabine retracted her hand from his shoulder, and he immediately missed the familial warmth. Sabine turned towards Marinette.

"Well, what are you waiting for, dear? Come say a proper hello to your date." Adrien heard the smile on her lips and a light squeal that escaped her. "My baby's first date! I can't believe it!" She said excitedly, and then called towards what Adrien assumed was the kitchen. "Tom! Bring the camera!"

Marinette groaned as she descended the stairs. " _Maman._ " Marinette pleaded. "You're embarrassing me!"

Adrien wanted to assure her that there was absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about when Tom appeared from what Adrien assumed was the kitchen. He smiled brightly at Adrien.

"Adrien, m'boy!" He called happily and clapped a hand to Adrien's shoulder affectively. This was the closest to paternal affection that Adrien had ever felt, and he'd be damned if he didn't allow himself to enjoy it, even the slightest bit. "Mari's been running around the house all day to make sure everything was perfect." Tom chuckled. Adrien heard Marinette's groan as she descended what was left of the stairs. 

"Come  _on_ , darling, we'll take a picture and then we'll be on our way, okay?" Sabine reasoned. Marinette sighed and looked at Adrien apologetically.

"I'm so sorry about this."

Adrien smiled. "I'm actually kind of enjoying it." He confessed, and this drew a smile from Marinette's lips, and  _wow_ did he love when she did that.

"Come on, stand together." Sabine commanded in such a different way that Gabriel did. It filled Adrien with warmth. "Adrien, dear, can you put your arm around Mari?"

Adrien was more than happy to comply. He felt the blush on his cheek as Marinette stood close to him, and stole a glance from her, seeing the blush on her cheeks and the smile on her lips was enough to fill his chest with warmth.

"Perfect!" Sabine called, and Adrien was taken aback. What? He hadn't even been looking at the camera.

"Well, we're off!" Tom said, smiling. It was only now that Adrien had noticed that they were both dressed rather nicely and Sabine had picked up her purse. She came closer to Marinette and grabbed her face the same way she had grabbed Adrien's earlier.

"You know we trust you, dear." She stroked Mari's cheek with her thumb before planting a kiss on her forehead. "We love you. We'll be home in a couple of hours, okay?"

At that moment, Adrien felt as if thunder struck him from the back. But no, it was only Tom, clapping him once again (rather painfully).

"We'll be home at ten, son." Tom smiled at Adrien, filling him with warmth. He raised a warning finger towards him. "Remember, we're trusting you two.  _Behave_."

Marinette laughed. "I promise we won't set the house on fire."

Tom smiled, but Adrien caught the look in his eye. Fire was  _clearly_ not what he was talking about.

Without much else to add, the Dupain-Chengs left the house, bakery closed for the day, and headed for dinner.

Adrien and Marinette were alone.

"Where's my quiche?"

Well,  _almost_ alone.

Plagg flew out from the inside of Adrien's blazer, and frankly  _regretted_ bringing him, but he jus couldn't leave his kwami at home.

Marinette rolled her eyes and smiled. "Nice to see you too, Plagg." She smiled. "The quiche is in the kitchen."

"And stay there, Plagg." Adrien commanded. Plagg stared blankly at him. Adrien stared back. "You are  _not_ ruining my date."

Marinette giggled, and immediately Adrien's seriousness melted. He looked at her, and her kind eyes, and her sweet smile and her openness and sincerity and he just...

He was just such a lucky guy, okay?

A smile still clinging to her lips, Marinette turned to Adrien. "Wanna head to my room?" 

Immediately, a horrified expression took over her features. "Oh god, no, I wasn't--"

But Adrien was already doubled over in laughter, leaning against the table of her living room, much in the same manner as he had laughed that day with her at the bakery. Soon, he heard her nervous laughter join him, unwrapping into a fit of giggles that neither one of them could stop.

"O-okay," Adrien was the first to get himself under control. "Let's go to your room, Princess." 

Marinette stopped and stared dumbly. A light blush spread on her cheeks.

Adrien's blood ran cold. His smile died. "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

Marinette smiled and shook her head. "Princess." She said bashfully. "You always call me princess as Chat, but this is the first time you've done so as Adrien."

Adrien shifted. "Do you want me to stop?"

Marinette's smile spread, an adorable look of shyness in her face as she buried her sight to the grown and only stole a glance from him. "I-I kinda like it."

Adrien smiled his best Chat Noir smile.

"Lead the way, purr-incess."

* * *

They'd settled for an independent film called 'Hard Candy,' which frankly had kind of terrified Adrien.

The movie began with them sitting next to each other awkwardly, hands folded over laps, Marinette's ankles crossed and Adrien's legs closed as to occupy the least amount of space in her couch.

At one point in the movie, Adrien had taken a leap of courage and slowly,  _so slowly_ , and watching her for any negative reaction, spread his arm over the head of the couch, over her shoulders.

Marinette hadn't turned to look at him, instead leaning into his shoulder. Soon, his shoes were off and her legs were on the couch and they were much,  _much_ more comfortable and at ease with each other.

Why couldn't it have been the same with Ladybug? Why had she always rejected him?

Adrien shook the thought from his head. 

_No. No Ladybug._

_Marinette._

Here he was, watching a movie with the most wonderful girl in all of Paris. A girl he  _loved_.

So why couldn't he rip the image of Ladybug pulling away from him?

Adrien sighed and leaned his head against hers, taking in the smell of her shampoo.

He supposed these things took time.

Unfortunately, time was exactly what they lacked, as they heard mayhem in the streets.

Adrien groaned loudly.

Why couldn't he have  _one night_ _off?_

* * *

Marinette had been the first to jump from the couch and hurry down the stairs. Adrien had tried to stop her, but she had been too fast for him, and too decisive. She heard his footsteps as he followed, and his voice pleading for her to stay inside.

But that wasn't going to happen, now was it?

As soon as they emerged from the bakery, Marinette looked at the sky saw a woman throwing building bricks and trapping people with steel infrastructures inside small domes.

" _L'arquitecte_ is here to make your  _dream homes!_ " She cackled loudly. Marinette looked around her for innocent bystanders, and saw a young man recording right as the rain of bricks began.

In a swift, Ladybug-like motion, Marinette tackled the young man into an alley. Adrien was quick to follow, and just as he passed the threshold of the alley, L'arquitecte sealed it off with a wall that reached at least 15 feet in height.

The young man who had been recording with his phone was now moaning the loss of his brand-new toy, as it had crashed on the floor  _right at the spot_ where the wall had been erected. He didn't moan long, however, when h saw Marinette's angry face.

"What are you waiting for?  _Go_." She called, and the young man scrambled to his feet and ran off, right before L'arquitecte flew over her wall and watched Adrien and Marinette with satisfaction.

"Oh look,  _a couple_. Let's give you some time alone so you can decide how many rooms you'll have." She grinned. "Let me give you a hint. It's  _one_." She said and erected a wall on the other side of Adrien and Marinette, thus leaving them quite effectively trapped.

Marinette began studying the walls for a way out. Adrien got close to her.

"Mari, we  _need_ to get you somewhere safe." Adrien pleaded. Marinette disregarded him and continued studying the walls, looking for a weak spot.

"I think that if you transform you should be able to Cataclysm us out of here." She said methodically. "Afterwards, I think the Akuma is in the plans she carries tied to her back. If we distract her long enough--"

Adrien grabbed Marinette by the shoulders firmly, making her stare straight at his green, stern eyes.

"There is no  _we_ , Marinette." He said sharply. " _You_ are going to go home and hide out until this is over. I'll transform and deal with this until Ladybug arrives."

Marinette protested. "You can't deal with this by yourself! There's literally  _flying bricks_."

"All the more reason to keep you safe." He looked at her, not unkindly, and Marinette's heart broke a little. "I'm not letting anything happen to you, Mari, okay?"

Because she didn't know what else to do, Marinette nodded.

" _There_ you are." They heard Plagg's voice come from above, coming down towards their little prison. Marinette knew that Plagg had been in the kitchen with Tikki, so she must've not been far behind. As Plagg distracted Adrien, Marinette saw Tikki slip quietly close to her and hide behind her back.

"Come on, Plagg. We have work to do."

"Kid, this one's too big for yourself." Plagg replied, sending a meaningful look Marinette's way. Guilt gnawed at her belly.

"Ladybug will he here soon enough, okay? Just-- let's go. We need to finish this quick before Nathalie and Gorilla come pick me up."

But Marinette couldn't stand it. She thought for a moment about a brick hitting Adrien--Chat-- because she was there but too much of a coward to do something about it, and she finally let go.

As if Tikki had been sensing what she had been thinking, Marinette felt a reassuring squeeze on the back of her neck.

Adrien raised his fist forward, lips parted to call for his transformation, when Marinette beat him to the punch.

"Tikki,  _transform me!_ " She called.

Even through the pink light that enveloped her, Marinette saw the betrayed and awestruck look in Adrien's eyes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, i exhort all y'all to check out my other ongoing fic, The Two Of Us. Its got pretty good reviews and im very happy with it.
> 
>  
> 
> There's enough fluff to make 7 poodles and three persian cats.


	12. The (Other) Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is the required post-reveal drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sleepy

Marinette wished now more than ever to hide behind her mask.

Except, of course, she had literally  _just_ given up that  _exact_ _liberty_.

This... wasn't going to be pretty.

The transformation glow faded away. Adrien's expression did not.

She parted her lips, but every word she knew lodged in her throat. She pressed her lips together and watched Adrien, terrified. There were five heartbeats of silence.

"My Lady?" Adrien whispered, and even there, Marinette heard the tear in his voice. She felt a piece of her heart break off and fall into the pit of her stomach.

"Adrien..." She replied, her voice barely audible. Her eyes were swimming and everything in her belly knotted up into a jumble of sadness and fear. "Adrien, I'm--"

He raised his hand, palm forward. Marinette blinked back her tears and searched his gaze, which he had buried on the ground. When his eyes met hers, they were cold, angry, and above all,  _hurt_.

He steadied himself with the practice of someone who lived in front of the camera every day. The light of joy in his eyes was gone, and instead Marinette could only find a barrier made of silence. Steady, calm, emotionless, Adrien raised his fist forward, and spoke clearly and without a trace of excitement or sorrow. 

"Plagg, transform me." 

And as the green light faded, Marinette could only see Chat's back as he scaled the wall and ran away from her and into danger.

* * *

Adrien was definitely  _not_ running away.

He was just running. In the complete opposite direction. From Marinette.

Ladybug.

Marinette.

His Lady.

 _Princess_.

Chat Noir landed on top of the newly erected wall that was supposed to keep him and Mari --Ladybug-- trapped, and assessed the damage.

 _Tried_ to assess the damage.

He looked to the street, trying to focus on all the debris.  _L'arquitecte_ had moved along, leaving a trail of destruction behind her. She was on her way to the Eiffel Tower, from the looks of it.

 _Of course_ she would go to one of the major architectural designs in Paris.

Chat grumbled under his breath. He had been having  _such_ a nice night.

 _Marinette_.

\--No. No Marinette. No Ladybug.

Chat shook his head. He wasn't Adrien Agreste, regular teenager with a crush. He was Chat Noir,  _hero_ of Paris.

"Chat!"

...

...Hero of Paris in love with his partner.

His partner, who was also the civilian girl he had been dreaming about. The  _one girl_ he had found himself liking, the way a teenage boy is supposed to like a teenage girl.

So this should've been good, right? Finding out that both girls he loved ( _yes, loved_ ) were one and the same. He should've been  _over the moon_ at the fact that he didn't have to cut his heart in little petals and say "i love her," "i love  _her_."

So why was he, as of now, choosing to head straight into danger instead of turning around and talking to her?

Yes, well, that was just another thing he was running from, you see.

"Chat Noir!" Her voice was closer. He didn't turn to look. In fact, he went ahead and jumped straight from the wall to the floor and began chasing down the wreckage towards L'arquitecte.

Taking steps was easy, he supposed. Standing still? Not so much.

And yes, he had gone ahead and quoted that Regina Spektor song.

A song he had heard in Marinette's room, one time he had snuck in at night.

Ladybug's room.

He had snuck into Ladybug's room.

LAdybug's room, which was Marinette's room.

Chat wanted to slam his head against the ground several times. This was getting him nowhere.

So, he did the only thing his brain was okay with him doing. He ran. He ran as fast as he could. He used his baton and jumped to the rooftops, and then ran up there.

He had no idea how much distance L'arquitecte had put between them, but it didn't matter. Chat Noir wanted to run from Adrien, from Marinette, and from Ladybug.

That suited him just fine.

* * *

LAdybug had only run three steps before her feet refused to carry her any further.

Her heart pumped hard with adrenaline. Her brain pounded with words she had meant to say, her heart veins  _screamed_ with blood--

\--but her heart tore with defeat.

So her feet had slowed and she had stopped completely, amidst devastation, feeling as if her very soul was leaving her body. Because what else could she feel?

After all this time, she had  _finally_ had a date with Adrien, and she'd screwed it up.

She'd  _had_ him--

No, that wasn't it.

Marinette felt disgusted at herself for that line of thought.

She hadn't  _had_ Adrien. They'd been wonderfully, amazingly,  _briefly_ , together.

And she had torn it to shreds and tossed it to the wind.

And she didn't even know why.

Marinette sighed. Ladybug took a deep, cleansing breath.

She had a city to save.

* * *

It should be noted that among a lot of things, Adrien was a boy.

An especially dumb one.

So when it was time to either face his problems or run straight into danger, he had chosen to dive in face first against a scorned architect who threw bricks and created prisons out of metal.

Chat Noir slammed against the wall heavily with a grunt of pain. L'arquitecte laughed jovially, albeit creepily.

"Too bad for you, kitty doors  _destroy_ the impeccable image of a door!" L'arquitecte yelled, trying to encase Chat into a cube made of blocks. Chat managed to jump away before the last blocks settled in, assuring his freedom.

"Fortunately, this cat know's a  _lot_ of ways around the house!" he grinned and jumped against a wall in the direction of the akuma, landing a kick straight in her face. 

In return, Chat got a brick straight to the gut.

It was highly unpleasant, as you imagine.

"Chat!" He heard, and  _that_ hit him harder than the brick. This time he couldn't help it. His gaze quickly found Ladybug--Marinette.

Unfortunately, L'arqutecte followed his gaze and saw her, too. A wide grin spread on her face.

"Bugs and kittens! Both are  _terrible_ for the home atmosphere! Im afraid I shall have to...  _evict you_!" She yelled, and from the ground, metal beams emerged, effectively trapping Ladybug in a terrible, choking hug.

Blood left Chat's face as he imagined hearing her bones crack under the force. Ladybug's. Marinette's.

Both's.

So when he saw L'arquitecte draw back her hand to summon a group of bricks  to fly towards Ladybug, he lost it. His feet were quicker than his brain, and soon he had jumped in front of danger, as he always would for her.

The good thing is, the bricks on his back only hurt for a moment before it all went black.

* * *

It took Marinette a whole of ten seconds to realize that the horrible, tearing cry she was hearing was her own, and only because it felt as if something tore the throat from her neck.

Her scream was unintelligible, a mix between his name and his alter ego, and laced with so, so much pain.

_No, no no no no._

This couldn't be happening.

Chat.

 _Adrien_.

Her mind was in array, but Ladybug centred herself to focus. She closed her eyes--

\-- _and still saw her partner crumpled on the floor_.

She snapped her eyes open. She couldn't afford to lose concentration. Not unless she wanted things to go from bad to worse.

So Ladybug pushed the thought of her partner --her quasi boyfriend ( _though judging by what just went down she might as well kiss that goodbye)--_ away from her head and gripped the rails of her consciousness as hard as she could.

Her left hand was free and she had her yoyo. This would be tricky.

So, with a  _big_ push of luck and dexterity, Ladybug was able to angle her yoyo towards L'arquitecte's wrist and hit her with a loud  _snap!_ , just enough to make her lose concentration and release her hold on the beams, just a little bit.

This was all Ladybug needed.

Supernatural strength be praised, Ladybug broke free from L'arquitecte's hold and jumped back, hearing the akuma growl in frustration. She landed to the side of the street and swooped in quickly to retrieve Chat's unconscious ~~body~~ form from the ground, and enough to take him to a safe distance. 

After depositing Chat on the roof of a sturdy-looking building, she came down to deal with L'arquitecte.

And  _boy_ , did she deal with L'arquitecte.

* * *

When Chat Noir opened his eyes, he noticed two things.

One, it had to be getting pretty late.

Two, his back was  _killing him_.

He groaned as he tried to incorporate himself, just a little, and took a good thirty seconds to just sit up. As he did, he began hearing the faint echoes of what he knew to be battle coming from below.

Back be damned, Chat jumped to his feet--

\--and yelped in pain.

He walked gingerly towards the lip of the roof to find the streetlights fixed on Ladybug and L'arquitecte as if they were a spotlight. From afar, he watched as Ladybug tripped the akuma to the ground, jumping gracefully to steal the plans she held by her waist and tearing them into two. The small butterfly emerged, and Chat saw it be purified, an action that was no less striking just because it was at a distance.

The same way Ladybug --Marinette-- was no less striking because she was at a distance.

He breathed deeply and undid his transformation, heading to the centre of the roof and flopping down to the ground in pain. He looked at the clear night sky as Plagg floated right about his eye-level, watching him curiously.

"How you doin', kid?" Plagg asked, just a sliver of concern slipping in his words.

Adrien refrained from responding for a few seconds.

"Did you know?" He asked quietly. Plagg had the decency not to gloat.

"Yes." He replied simply. "I met her kwami when you were confessing."

Adrien closed his eyes. He  _wanted_ to argue, but there wasn't really any fight left in him, at this point.

He was just... so...

 _Disappointed_.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Adrien asked, mostly because he thought he should.

"It wasn't my place." Plagg replied. "Besides, Tikki didn't tell Marinette about you even though  _she_ had the chance."

Adrien frowned, eyes closed. "How did  _she_ know?"

Plagg floated around a little, evidently for Adrien, waiting for him to explode. "'Cause you're an idiot. When you guys met, you called her a kwami."

Adrien opened his eyes, fixed in the vast, dark blue sky. "Makes sense, I guess."

"That you're an idiot?"

"That too."

They stayed in silence for a few minutes. Adrien felt the pain in his back begin to recede, just a little, as he watched the clouds pass by.

He didn't need his enhanced hearing to know when Marinette landed on the roof.

And he didn't need to see her to know that she was being Ladybug.

Either way, he didn't speak. He just persisted lying on the ground, staring at the sky, pointedly ignoring the very likely love of her life as she stood awkwardly a few feet away from him.

"Adrien...?" Marinette called softly. Adrien heard her quite perfectly, but he was busy being rather immature.

"Adrien," she called again. Adrien sighed.

"I don't know if I want to talk to you." Adrien said quite honestly. He had reached of point of turmoil in which he could no longer bring himself to act upon feeling.

It was an emotional eye of the storm, if you will.

"Adrien, I'm s--" She began, but Adrien sat up (and it hurt a lot).

"No, actually," he began, furrowing his brow and still decisively not looking at her. "That's about the  _one thing_ I know right now. I  _don't_ want to hear you say that you're sorry."

"But--"

"No," Adrien replied, standing up. It was strange for him, being this... confused. He wasn't  _angry_ per se... He was hurt, sure. Confused, definitely. But there was something more. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on. "Marinette. Ladybug. I  _really_ don't want to hear it."

There was silence, and this time he did look at Ladybug. He felt the usual quickening of excitement in his belly, but this time along with a feeling of betrayal and distrust.

"I'm very upset." Adrien heard himself say, and was surprised to find that he was being  _far_ too articulate with his feelings at the moment. "Actually, I don't remember the last time I  _was_ this upset." He blinked a couple of times. "I didn't know this is how I reacted when I'm upset, either."

"Adrien, let me explain." Marinette begged, but her entreats fell on deaf ears. Adrien had no sympathy at this moment.

"No, I don't think so." He replied. He scratched the back of his head, though far from nervously, as he always did. He was just... resigned? "I think we should spend some time apart."

At this moment in time, I cannot tell you who was more horrified to hear those words. Marinette's eyes widened under the mask ( _how had he not seen that piercing, beautiful gaze for the girl it belonged to?)_ and she stepped forward. Adrien made no move save shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'll just... I'll deal with this in my own way, okay?" He said, more to himself than anything. 

He heard Marinette's breaking voice. "Do you... do you hate me?"

It didn't move him.

"No." He said, as tonelessly as he'd said everything. "I don't think I'l  _able_ to hate you." He added. "But I'm  _very_ hurt, and I'm not even sure  _how_ I'm gonna deal with it.  _If_ I can deal with it." Finally, he looked at Marinette in the eyes, unblinking. "You know, you were the two people I trusted the most in this world."

Marinette's jaw fell, and Adrien said nothing. He turned on his heel, motioning for Plagg to follow as he headed towards the stairs.

"Please tell your parents I had to run, but thank you for the invitation."

He said and heard nothing more until the metal door slammed closed at his heels.

* * *

 

Marinette felt like a puppet who's strings had been cut. 

She'd changed out of her date clothes and into her pyjamas and sat listlessly in the same spot where just hours earlier, she had been the happiest girl in Paris.

She let her head lol back. She'd really screwed it up big time.

"Mari?" Tikki called softly. For a second, Marinette was  _very_ tempted to ignore her, but well, she'd already hurt  _one_ best friend tonight.

"Yeah?" She kind of understood Adrien's unfazedness from earlier, frankly. It was just easier  _not_ to feel anything.

"Are you okay?"

Marinette parted her lips to answer, but closed them again. In a second, she felt a bubble of irrational laughter come from her belly, and let out a choked, horrified laughter.

"Mari?" Tikki asked, flying closer, growing more concerned.

Marinette laughed brutally. "You were right!" She exclaimed. "You were so,  _so right!_ I  _had_ to go and...  _feel things_ for Chat Noir, didn't I? And you were right all along!" She felt another bubble head for her lips, and took her a second to identify the feeling.

Desperation.

And as she named it, it crashed into her with a wave of tears.

The tearing laughter became a choked sob in one fluid motion and she brought her chin to her chest and covered her mouth with a hand, while her eyes filled up with tears she didn't even bother pushing back.

"Oh god," she choked. "I screwed up. Tikki, I screwed up  _so bad_." She drew a tearing breath and felt Tikki press herself against her cheek.

"Oh Mari, I didn't want to be right." The kwami said sincerely. "I wanted you to be happy."

"But I lied to him" Tears were flowing freely now. "God, I  _looked_ into his face and I  _lied_ to him."

"You didn't--"

"Yes, I did." She pressed her sleeve against her eye, trying to dry the newborn tears. "He told me about himself and I didn't say  _anything_." She cried. "I knew he was hurting and I kept quiet."

"You were being responsible."

"I was being a coward!" Marinette raised her voice. She silently thanked her stars that her parents hadn't come home yet. "I was being selfish, and a coward, and just...  _horrible_." She covered her face with her hands, wallowing in mortification.

"Marinette..." She heard Tikki and felt her tiny hand against hers. "Its going to be okay."

As if something had drained her, Marinette crumpled on her couch, tears still silently falling.

"He won't forgive me." She said emotionlessly. "I wouldn't."

Tikki cradled herself in the scoop between Marinette's arms and her chest. "Of course you could. You're wonderful."

Marinette parted her lips to answer, but chose to say nothing.

She cried until she had fallen asleep, and dreamed over and over with the back of the boy she had hurt.

* * *

"You're awfully calm." Plagg noted as Adrien walked in through his bedroom door. The blond didn't reply, and instead threw himself against the bed flat on his back, relishing in the echoes of pain from the earlier fight.

As soon as he hit the bed, waves of emotions tore at him, over and over, in a storm that seemed to have no beginning and no end. Adrien buried his face in his hands and grunted in frustration, feeling  _everything_ that had begun to fester since her revelation.

Plagg had the good manner to not say anything to Adrien as he cried his pain and frustration away. He let Adrien let it all out, and only asked when the boy's eyes were red-rimmed and his nose was running and there were patches of red on his face, and even then, he did not mock Adrien.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Instead of answering, Adrien flopped on his bed again and said nothing.

It took him almost an hour to realize that the lingering pain in his chest was not due to the hit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not entirely sure about this chapter. i feel like i made you all wait for a long while and suddenly i gave you something sub par and im really sorry... work has got me crazy. i promise to make it up in the next chapter!


	13. Divine Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which tiny gods stick their tiny noses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oompa-loompa-oompa-dee-doo

During his fifteen years of life, Adrien had found that there were only three things that made him angry:

  * Cruelty
  * Injustice
  * Someone he loved getting hurt



So when Adrien spent most of Saturday face down in his bed and analyzed his thoughts, he came to a very simple conclusion.

He wasn't angry at Marinette. At all.

He was, however, hurt as all hell.

At ten in the morning, Nathalie had knocked on his door gently, calling to see if he was awake. She opened the door without much noise and checked on him. Seeing him lying on the bed, she asked if he was okay.

"Yeah," he said with a small, fake smile. "I think I ate something bad yesterday, though. I'm not feeling too well. I think I'll stay home for now."

Nathalie had said nothing, but at noon, when Adrien's maid walked into his room to bring him lunch, it was a small plate of simple soup and a bottle of water. It was the first time since last night since he'd smiled.

He finished his meal and set his plate aside before falling back first in his bed, staring at the roof blankly. He thought about Marinette's revelation over and over again, then jumping back to all the instances in which he  _should've_ noticed it was her.

In hindsight, it was obvious.

He should've seen it all after he'd started falling for her. Seen all the similarities. Their courage, their wisdom, their bravery.

_Her._

Her bravery.

There was only her.

"How are you feeling?" Plagg spoke to Adrien for the first time in the day. The boy had definitely not missed the fact that his kwami had done his best to be supportive and give him space, and this, he appreciated more than anything.

Adrien sighed.

"Better. I think." He didn't sit up. Plagg flew to the bed and sat right beside Adrien's head, so that he could turn his head and they'd be eye to eye.

"Are you angry?" Plagg asked with sincere curiosity. Adrien half-smiled at his kwami.

It was heartwarming to know that, deep down, Plagg was his friend and he loved him.

"No," he replied. "Betrayed? Yes. Sad? Very. But angry? No."

Plagg stayed silent for a couple of seconds, as if assessing his words.

"Why do you feel betrayed?"

Adrien frowned at Plagg.

"You were  _there_."

"I want to hear you say it." Plagg insisted. Adrien shook his head and stared at the ceiling before answering.

"She didn't tell me she was Ladybug." He said, and the second the words left his mouth, he heard the silliness.

"Well, you'd always known that she wasn't ready to share her secret." Plagg reasoned. Adrien turned to look at him again, frowning.

"Yes, but  _I_ confessed to her."

"So?" Plagg asked. "She tried to dissuade you."

Adrien blinked and sat up, staring at Plagg.

"Whose side are you even on?"

"Yours, kid, always." Plagg floated up to be eye level with Adrien. "I'm just showing you the other side of the cheese."

"So what? You think she was just supposed to keep it from me? Let me tear my hair out for the two of them? Have my  _worry_ about the two of them all the time?"

"To be fair, that's the way it was before you told her. Nothing changed for you."

Adrien felt anger rising. This was another feeling he wasn't used to.

"She let me fall in love with her knowing that it was hurting me." Adrien growled. "She  _allowed_ it to happen!"

Plagg sighed, probably realizing that this was getting him nowhere. He shook his head, disappointed, and it only made Adrien more angry.

"Are you  _really_ going to be on  _her_ side?" He demanded. Plagg frowned.

"Don't raise your voice at me, kid. I'm not the one you're mad at."

Adrien threw himself back to bed and rolled on his side angrily, muttering a 'whatever.'

Plagg grumbled.

He  _hated_ teenagers.

* * *

As Nathalie was knocking on Adrien's door, Alya was stomping down Marinette's, ready for every single detail her friend had to give about the date the night before.

She arrived with a wild grin on her face and a tub of ice cream, her throat ready to squeal and scream for hours.

When she saw Marinette's puffy eyes and the paleness of her skin, though, Alya dropped the bag on the ground and rushed towards her friend's bed, throwing her arms around her without bothering with a 'hello.'

Marinette, in return, tried to smile feebly at her friend, but the stretch of her lips was simply too much, and a tear slipped from her eye.

Cradling Marinette's head in her lap, Alya spent the next three hours stroking her friend's hair while the chocolate ice cream melted on the wooden floor of Marinette's room.

It was only a few minutes before M. Cheng called them to lunch that Marinette sighed and sat up, looking at Alya with less sorrow and a spark of gratitude.

"What happened?" Alya asked, her voice a whisper, as to not break her friend again.

"I screwed up." Marinette replied emptily, and Alya's heart twisted. This couldn't possibly be the girl that only yesterday was humming on her way to her locker and stopping by gardens just to caress the petals of wild daisies. "I screwed up pretty bad."

Alya opened her mouth to ask, but M. Cheng knocked on the hatch, bringing the girls' lunch. Marinette turned her head away, as to not be seen, and Alya kept the illusion of normalcy as she received the tray and thanked her host profusely.

The tray was no sooner forgotten in the table, and Alya was back to her friend, ready to listen.

It was strange, Alya thought for a second, to not be the one talking. However there was something deep inside of her that closed up her throat, whispering that Marinette needed her silence. Alya vowed to become only ears to her friend until her lips were summoned.

Marinette sighed, bringing Alya back to home base.

"I lied to him." Marinette confessed. Alya waited. "Or, well, I kept something from him. Something big."

"It can't have been that bad..." Alya squeezed her friend's hand gently, but Marinette did not reciprocate. Alya's heart squeezed in her chest.

"It is." Marinette said emptily. "He confided something in me, but I couldn't trust him with the same." Alya saw her friend's lip quiver as tears welled in the lip of her eyelids. "A-and now he hates me." A single tear slipped down her cheek.

Alya, almost instinctively, pulled Marinette's head to her chest, cradling her head with affection and whispering kindness into the crown of her head. Marinette, in turn, circled her arms around Alya's back and held her tightly.

"T-the worst part is," Marinette choked. Alya felt the warmth of tears stain her shirt and make her ribs shrink. "I can't even talk about it. I can't even tell  _you_ about it." A sob tore out of Marinette's throat, and Alya held her firm, a dock in the storm.

"You don't have to tell me anything." The redhead pet her friend's head lovingly. "Whatever it is, its okay. I'm always on your side, Mari."

"Even if I'm lying?" Marinette's voice was soft, but it didn't break.

"Even if you're lying." She soothed. "Whatever it is, I trust you."

Alya felt Marinette take a deep, shuddering breath before sitting up. She gave Alya a brave yet weak smile, and Alya wiped the trail of tears from her cheek with the sleeve of her shirt. Marinette closed her eyes and took another breath, more steady this time. When she opened her eyes, Alya could see the spark of life again. Sad, but there.

From the corner of the room, a little Kwami understood what a human felt like when they said that their heart was torn out of their chest.

* * *

Since their ice cream had melted, the girls stuffed themselves with cookies and pastries until Marinette had been barely able to keep her eyes open, and Alya, ever the supportive friend, pushed Marinette aside on the bed until they both fit comfortably and fell asleep together in a wonderful afternoon nap. It had already begun to rain.

Tikki was very happy that Marinette had a friend like Alya.

She also knew, however, that Alya wasn't going to be able to fix this problem.

This one was on Tikki.

So carefully, Tikki slipped out through the window of Marinette's room and into the almost flooding streets. She tried to fly under roofs and covers, but it wasn't easy. As luck would have it, though, it was raining rather hard, so humans remained bundled up under their umbrellas and seldom looked up to see a tiny red figure flying overhead.

It took her almost half an hour to reach Adrien's house, and she was only able to because she and Plagg were connected, and if she really focused, she could vaguely feel him when he was close.

She arrived at the property when the five o'clock afternoon was too dark to tell the time.

By the time she found the right window, she was shaking, and, had see been a regular living creature, she would've been in very real danger of developing hypothermia.

But what's a little cold to a thousands-year-old god?

Tikki arrived at the windowsill in Adrien's room and knocked desperately, her tiny hands no match for the sound of the rain hitting glass.

"Plagg!" She called, but her partner didn't hear. Instead, she closed her eyes and focused on making her presence something he couldn't ignore.

After only a few seconds, she saw the kwami rise up from the bed and look around frantically until he spotted her, a look of surprise and concern overtaking his face before slamming down on Adrien's face.

From the way Adrien started, Tikki assumed he had been asleep as well. He had probably had a bad night, too.

She watched as Plagg pointed at her, and Adrien's yelp of surprise before running to open the window to let her in.

She stumbled into the room and Adrien closed the window behind her, trapping that horrible,  _horrible_ cold and keeping it away from her.

"T-tikki?" Adrien asked, nervously. He examined her closely. "Wait, you're  _soaked_. Hold on." And he was gone.

Adrien returned only a minute later with what seemed to be a small towel. With Plagg's help, she wrapped herself in it thankfully. before resting on the computer table.

"Tikki?" Adrien asked gently. "Is something wrong?" And then, with an edge of panic, "is Marinette alright?"

It took her a little off the edge to know that he was worried about her.

"She's not in danger." She said carefully. "But 'alright' isn't the word I'd use to describe her."

Adrien sat back on his chair and looked away, a mix of guilt and apprehension on his face evident. She looked at Plagg, hopefully, but he shook his head, as if to say 'I already tried.'

"I..." Tikki sighed. "I came here to apologize."

She saw Adrien quirk his eyebrow and how his eye flickered in her direction.

"I warned her away from you." Tikki confessed, feeling the oh so human guilt. "From both sides of you, I think."

She looked up at Adrien, whose lips were pressed together.

Well, at least he hadn't thrown her out in the rain yet.

She took a deep breath. "Listen, Adrien," she began. "Marinette... I love her, okay? I just... I've never thought that Chat Noir and Ladybug together are a good idea..." She looked down at her tiny, tiny hands. "Ladybug's entire existence is based on the purity of her heart, and her sense of justice is based on her desire to help others. If she cared too much about you, I was afraid that she would, I don't know,  _neglect_ citizens in order to save you."

"You don't think I'm good for her." It wasn't a question. Tikki felt the hurt on his voice.

"No! That's not it!" Sh countered, though she knew it was feeble. "I was rooting for you, Adrien, I swear." Sudden warmth appeared in her eyes, and Tikki realized they were tears. "Marinette... she has felt things for you for  _so long_. And I... I didn't like it! I didn't like that she was putting herself in the line like that. And you... you just didn't notice!" She frowned and felt Plagg land next to her. "Everything you did had the power to make her really happy... or really miserable.

"I never want to see Marinette sad, Adrien." She added pathetically. To her surprise, Adrien spoke.

"Exactly what makes you think that I do?" His voice was bitter.

"I know you don't want to hurt her. But it happens." She insisted. "What would happen if you two got together? Could you protect Paris the same way? And what if you split up? Could you still work with her?"

Adrien spared Tikki a glance. The first ever cold stare she had ever seen this boy give.

"We could've figured it out." He said. "It doesn't matter, anyways. I.. I don't know if I can trust her."

Tikki felt something sink inside of her. 

"You've trusted her with your life so many times," she said quietly. "Is this enough to shake that trust?"

This time, when she looked at Adrien's eyes, she realized that they weren't cold.

They were in so, so much pain.

"Marinette loves you," Tikki said quietly. "She  _liked_ you. Now... she loves you." She met his eyes, defying. "And you love her too."

Adrien did not counter that. He parted his lips to answer, but was silenced by the sound that Tikki recognized as a cellphone.

She watched him pick it up and look at the screen, confused, before turning to Tikki, brows furrowed. 

"Wait." He said. "Does Marinette know you;re here?"

Tikki shook her head sadly. "I left when she was asleep... I-- I needed to try to do something to help."

Adrien sighed and looked down at his phone before pressing a button and bringing it to his right ear.

"She's here." He said by way of greeting. Tikki did  not miss the way his yes softened when he heard her voice. "Yeah, I can take her. No, its no problem. I... kinda wanted to talk to you anyways." A moment of silence. "Yeah, I can meet you at the park in ten minutes. Alright, I'm on my way."

Adrien hung up his phone and looked at Tikki, as if evaluating her.

"She was worried." He said. Tikki nodded.

"She wouldn't've let me come if I'd told her."

Adrien nodded. "I'm going to change. We leave in two minutes." He said as he disappeared into what Tikki supposed was the closet.

She felt a pressure over her towel. She turned to the side and saw Plagg, who looked concerned, but also a little sad.

"I also hope it works," he said softly. Tikki sighed. "Adrien's a good kid. They'll figure it out."

From the bottom of her heart, Tikki hoped that was true.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason lately I'm not satisfied with the chapters as soon as i write them, but after rereading them a couple of times i kinda feel better about them... lets hope this one's the same.
> 
> i hope you like it!


	14. (Finally) Communicating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which two dorks reveal their insecurities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh wow look who hasn't upd8ed in forever? 
> 
> we're reaching the finale, so this won't be a problem for long

Adrien had thought he was ready to see Marinette.

Or, well, he actually had convinced himself that he was ready.

But when he saw that mat of black, dripping hair over a pale face with wide blue, terrified eyes, he realized he was very much  _not_ ready to see her.

This didn't matter though, because she was hurrying in his direction, running almost desperately, while the clothes clung to her body and her hair stuck to her face, and it still made his heart race. Adrien tightened his grip on his umbrella and said nothing as he watched terror melt into relief, his muscles clenching in anticipation at her expression. His breath caught on his throat.

"Tikki!" She cried, her voice a mixture of relief and joy and sadness and lingering horror.

Adrien could breathe again. Of course that expression hadn't been meant for him.

From his shoulder, he saw a red blur fly quickly in Marinette's direction, making a beeline for her face and nuzzling her cheek happily. He watched Marinette's hand gently holding her, and had it not been for the fact that it was raining, Adrien wondered if he would've seen tears.

He remained quiet as the girl and her kwami reunited. He watched Marinette give Tikki a look that seemed to say 'we'll talk about this later,' but he ignored it.

She hadn't acknowledged he was there yet. His breath held until she had, as if her validation was vital for his existence.

Finally, Marinette looked up and her eyes met Adrien's. Her face was splotchy, and there were swollen bags under her eyes, and red rims in her eyelids, and the very distinctive look of someone who had been, until recently, crying.

His heart twisted in its axis as if it were trying to dissociate from his chest.

He couldn't blame it. Adrien himself wanted to dissociate from him at this point.

"Hey," she said softly, her voice barely carrying over the sound of a harsh rain hitting the pavement. 

"Hey," he said back, and his voice sounded like wet sand dragging itself across gravel. He stared at her face --the face he had managed to crumple with his words just the night before. The beautiful face he had caused to fall apart in what seemed like hours of tears and strips of voice dragged from her throat.

The face of the girl he hurt.

The face of the girl he loved.

"How..." He mumbled like an idiot. "How've you been?"

Someone  _please_ kick him.

"I..." Marinette stuttered, and it broke Adrien's heart to think that that's what she might revert to after this fight. "I'm okay."

She was lying. Of  _course_ she was lying.

Marinette was lying for his sake. She didn't want to burden him with her pain, because she knew --they  _both_ knew-- it was all on him. She was hurt and sad and had been crying, and it was all ADrien's doing. Whatever she had done to deserve it-- it couldn't have been enough.

He watched her petite frame, that had just begun shivering as she held Tikki against her chest, trying to protect her from the rain--

"You don't have an umbrella." He stuttered, again, like a complete idiot.

Marinette rested her eyes on Adrien while her mind seemed to process that she, in fact, was soaked through the bone with nothing to protect her against the aggressive elements and their rage against her.

"I--" She blinked. "I forgot."

For a second, all was good again. Adrien felt transported to the day they met, when he'd given her his black umbrella. A wayward smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and it felt  _good_ to know that she could always draw a smile from him.

He held his umbrella out, covering Marinette. He was only vaguely aware that at this point it made no sense, considering that she was soaked through the bone, but it didn't matter. He wanted to hold on to that dazed look and that sweet smile he'd seen that day.

But Marinette didn't smile at him like before. She watched him with an apology ready on her lips, and red rimmed eyes deep with concern and a little fear --fear of him.

"Can we talk?" He heard himself ask. What? What was he doing? He wasn't  _ready_ to talk!

Marinette nodded silently, and they walked towards the carrousel, empty because of the weather, and stood together as far in as they could, hiding from the rain. Adrien closed his umbrella and set it on the ground before looking at Marinette--

\--and realized he didn't know what to say.

"Now you're wet." She pointed out. Adrien took note of the stray drop that rolled down his nose and decided to do nothing about it.

"Yeah," he replied, and felt that wonderful quickening of nervousness that Marinette had been bringing to his life lately. Before he knew it, his hand had flown to the back of his neck and scratched it nervously. "I guess the park wasn't the best idea."

Marinette laughed a little, hiding her lips behind her fingers as if she were ashamed of her smile. Every second that passed made Adrien hate more and more the fight from last night.

Plagg's words resonated with him. What if he'd been wrong, after all?

She  _had_ tried to dissuade him from revealing himself. She  _had_ always told him that she wasn't ready to reveal herself. So had she been wrong, really?

The dull throb of pain in his heart was still there, though, and he didn't know how long it would stay.

"Sorry, I panicked." She answered. "I was so worried about Tikki that I didn't think about the rain."

"Yeah, I suppose I could've said something about it, too." 

There were seconds of awkward silence filled by the percussion of raindrops against the roof of the carrousel and the pavement of the park.

Marinette crossed her arms, almost defensively, he noticed with a flinch. "You wanted to talk?"

It was surprising how he could hear her so clearly. It was as if nature itself didn't want to drown out their conversation, no matter how hard the rain dared to fall.

Adrien hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Tikki came to talk to me."

Marinette looked at the raindrops that fell from her to the ground.

"I didn't send her, honestly, I--" She panicked for a second, before Adrien held his hand up, palm forward, to calm her.

"I don't think you did." He said gently, and saw Marinette relax, just a little. He remained quiet for a few seconds. "About last night--"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Marinette blurted out. "I just... I just couldn't bring myself to it."

Adrien remained silent for a few seconds before answering.

"How come?" He asked, not unkindly.

"Because Ladybug is something else entirely." She confessed. Adrien watched her tie knots in her mind, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "I... I  _needed_ something good to be  _mine_ , not hers!" Marinette blurted, and Adrien stared at her, dumbstruck. Marinette clenched her fists.

"Lately, all I hear is how wonderful Ladybug is. How smart, and brave and fantastic." She spoke quickly, the way Adrien knew her to do when she was passionate about something. "I..." Her voice dropped, almost hiding under the sounds of the rain. "I can barely hold my life together."

Adrien held his breath, looking at the dejected girl in front of him. His fingers ached to touch her shoulder gently, to reassure her, but there was also still some part of him that was too hurt for it, and he cursed it with every fibre of his being. But Marinette wasn't done talking. When she looked up at Adrien, her face was tired and sad and crumbling.

"Even you," she spoke softly, though he could hear her as clearly as if she had whispered in his ear. "All you ever wanted was her." She looked outside, at the falling rain. "I was  _right in front of you_ for an entire year, but you never saw me." Her shoulders slumped. "But it took Ladybug five minutes for you to fall head over heels."

Adrien's voice caught on his throat. What could he say? What could he  _do?_  

He knew better than most what it felt like to be trapped in an image.

Nobody had known Adrien. Everybody knew  _Adrien_.

Nobody had bothered, except her.

"Marinette..." He began, but she went on. It was only now that Adrien realized that she was venting. She was letting out things that had probably been wrapped around her heart for so long that she could only now release them to have control of herself again.

"That night you revealed yourself to me..." She took a deep breath. "You revealed yourself to  _me_. Not to her." Her shoulders coiled up again, her voice regaining passion. "Ladybug told you a thousand times that you shouldn't reveal yourselves, and every time you listened to her. And yet you came to  _me_. You came to me and showed me who you were, even though you had no reason to."

Adrien found his voice, though it had detached itself from his brain.

"Of course I had a reason." He spoke clearly, his voice above the raindrops. "I told you. I love you." 

Marinette chanced to look at him, sadness behind those big, blue eyes. However, there was still a bite of bitterness inside Adrien. 

"You loved Ladybug first."

"I didn't love you less because of that."

They both remained quiet for a few minutes. The rain had begun letting up, but still not enough. Only now was Adrien feeling the cold bite of autumn Parisian air against his skin. Or maybe it was inside himself that it was cold? 

Either way, the sincerity that they had cloaked under began pulling truths out of him.

"I confessed to you as Ladybug a thousand times." He spoke almost emptily. "And every time, I took your rejection with a good face, because I still loved you."

He saw Marinette wince, but did not stop.

"Then I told you -- _you_ , Marinette,-- that I loved you, and you said nothing." His throat was closing up. He saw perfectly well how Marinette's breath stopped, and imagined how her heart must've skipped, for the wide-eyed look she'd given him could betray no less. "So how am I supposed to know that you feel something for me?" 

Oh god, he sounded so pathetic.

"How can you ask that--?" She demanded, but Adrien cut her off. It was  _his_ turn to unwind the barbed wires that caught his lungs.

"Isn't it a fair question, though?" He realized he was pleading, rather than asking. "I tried not to think about it, I did! But when you turned out to be Ladybug I just wondered..." He hung his head, shame and sadness and realization washing over him at once.

Marinette;s hands, decisive, delicate and firm, found their way to his cheeks, directing his gaze straight towards hers. There was a mixture of compassion and sweetness in her eyes that he never would've thought possible. Her voice was soft and full of love.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, and he couldn't hear her this time under the sound of raindrops and wind. He could only read her lips. "I'm so sorry Adrien."

 

She parted her lips to speak, but the wind blew hard enough to throw them both off their feet in the slippery ground. Adrien could barely manage to catch Marinette before she hit the floor hard, and they both looked up at the same time, to find exactly the last thing they needed.

" _I am  Mother Nature._ "

Adrien looked down to see Marinette's face contort into that perfect gaze of determination, lips pulled downwards and brows knitted together as she began forming a plan.

Adrien clenched his teeth.

Their heart to heart would have to wait until this was over.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> almost done with this fanfic and i still don't know if i'll ever be satisfied with the chapters i write. is this okay?
> 
> i only have planned one more chapter plus an epilogue (possibly two epilogues if i decide to be a dork and if people are up for it)
> 
> please tell me what you think! i've been lucky enough to have wonderful readers give me amazing encouragement throughout this entire story, and you have NO idea how that has helped me. Even a "great job" helps! so thank you so much, and i hope the soon to come ending is to everybody's liking!  
> to be honest, im pretty happy with this fic. i hope you guys are, too


	15. Friendly Reminder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we go back to chapter one

Marinette felt the pleasant pressure of Adrien's arms around her. Arms so much like Chat's--

 _Chat's actual arms_.

They felt the way he usually did. Warm. Protective. Safe.

There was a storm raging outside the range of his body against hers, but her heart was still cradled in safety, because she was in Chat's arms-- her Chat.

Her Chat... the one she'd broken.

She hadn't noticed that her hands had flown to his chest the moment he'd pulled her close to protect her from the wind. Her fingers tightened.

How dared she? How could she seek his comfort, not five minutes after his voice had cracked (yes, she had heard it) because she had never,  _ever_ bothered telling him how she felt?

How could Marinette be so selfish? How  _dare_ she?

A stronger gust of wind knocked Adrien and Marinette back, Adrien's arms tightening around her right before his back hit the carrousel and he yelped in pain.

"Adrien!" Her voice cracked. His face was twisted in discomfort, but he still looked down at Marinette with worry.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently. His voice was tinged with pain.

Silently, Marinette nodded and helped him up to his feet, untangling herself (begrudgingly) from his chest and taking a step in front of him, as if to shield him. She twisted her head to the side and spoke clearly at him, barely even able to hear herself over the rain.

"We need to transform. I'll distract him while you hide and then we switch." She commanded, knowing full well that he wouldn't  _ever_ consent to this plan.

Which is exactly why she didn't give him a chance to answer, instead running from his side and heading straight into danger, not entirely unlike the way he had done before when running towards L'Arquitecte.

Marinette approached Mother Nature, slowing her step and biding her time, crouching behind a park bench. She could almost feel Adrien's frustration radiating at her from the spot where she'd left him, but didn't turn around. She could only hope that he'd do what she'd asked, or she'd be in trouble.

"You okay, Tikki?" she asked, knowing full well that her kwami had held on to her when she'd rushed into danger. She felt Tikki stir against her chest, from the spot inside her jacket where she'd hidden.

"This is dangerous, Mari." She warned ominously. "Its a really,  _really_ bad idea!"

Marinette shushed Tikki, not unkindly. She pressed her fingers against the kwami's head gently, in reassurance.

"Its only until Chat transforms and comes back. We cant risk Papillon seeing us transform, much less leave the Akuma unattended... Especially one as destructive as this one." As if on cue, Mother Nature summoned an old oak tree from the ground, which had taken only seconds to reach full height. Shocked, Marinette watched as a pair or vines untangled themselves from the tree and whipped against the ground, breaking concrete. Marinette flinched.

"You will learn the hard way to  _respect_ Nature!" Mother Nature called angrily, and Marinette didn't have a hard time understanding that this was a Nature activist, probably fed up with pollution and whatnot.

"Mari..." Tikki called warningly, but Marinette dodged her as gracefully as she had dodged Adrien's answer. By heading face first into danger.

"Hey! Ficus!" She taunted. "Do you  _really_ think this is a good place to plant an oak tree?"

Mother Nature turned towards Marinette angrily. It was now that the girl noticed the green tinge of the akuma's skin, and the way her hair had been completely replaced with leaves and twigs. Her attire was made from what seemed to be palm tree leaves, almost resembling a Hawaiian girl get-up.

A gust of wind blew hard, knocking Marinette off her feet and flat on her back. She watched in horror as vines untangled from the giant oak tree and seemed intent on heading in her direction.

"Its all  _buildings_! You've taken a bite into Nature that will not stand unpunished!" Mother Nature called, Marinette was quite sure it wasn't directed at her, though. She didn't have time to ponder on the akuma's audience as vines began closing in around her and she felt a quick rush of panic soak her. She shut her eyes, bracing for pain to come.

When it didn't, she knew.

Even before she opened her eyes, she  _knew._

 _As if Chat would_ ever _let her down_.

She opened her eyes to fragments of vines twitching like eviscerated tentacles that quickly stopped moving. Her eyes were drawn quickly to Chat's back, standing tall and imposing, and Marinette's heart ached with pride at how capable her partner was... how much  _hope_ he could inspire by himself.

And he didn't fully grasp it. He never had.

Chat... Adrien... How could someone not see how amazing they were? How fear had melted so quickly from her heart when she knew he was there?

Chat turned his head to the side, looking at her from the corner of his eye, all trace of nervousness gone from him.

Her heart ached from a different feeling now.

"Are you alright?" He asked, not as gently as he had before. Marinette got to her feet and nodded firmly. "What are you doing?  _Transform!_ "

Marinette looked at him, terrified, worried,  _scared_.

How could she leave him?

 

* * *

 

He picked up the sound of wood cracking and his skin prickled with the sense of danger before he hurled himself towards Marinette, enveloping her and crashing in the ground to shield her. He looked over his shoulder at Mother Nature and the rather large branch that now occupied the space where they had once stood. He didn't bother looking at Marinette under him.

" _Transform_." He commanded.

"You're alone."

 _No kidding_.

"Just  _go,_ Marinette." He missed calling her Princess. "I'll keep her occupied. You go... hide or something."

He felt the air change a bit, and it wasn't until he stole a glance from her that he knew she was frowning decisively.

"I'm not leaving you." She persisted stubbornly. 

"Yes you are." He pressed before pulling her, not roughly, to her feet. His eyes zeroed in on their enemy, who seemed far too focused on a temper tantrum. He angled his body to protect Marinette as much as he could. 

It didn't matter how many pieces his heart was in, he loved her with every shard of it.

God, he was pathetic.

"Marinette," his voice was low, pleading, turning to her, just an instant. She looked at him with wide but determined eyes. How could she look so terrified but brave at the same time? " _Please_." He begged. "Hide. Transform.  _Anything_. Just don't be here."

He watched her lose composure, only for a fraction of a second, the quiver of her lip. But her brows resettled over her eyes and the sharpness returned to the sky blue. Even under the rain she looked as if she could take on the world.

That was his Mari.

_No._

That was Marinette. Not "his" anything.

"I'll be right back." She promised. She hesitated for a second, and Adrien almost thought she was about to kiss him. And was only half relieved when she turned on her heel and began running in the other direction.

Chat felt the rumble under his feet only a second before roots broke through the ground. Luckily, one second was enough for a cat. He sidestepped the roots gracefully before turning his full attention at the Akuma.

"Shouldn't you be  _nice_ to me? I'm a cat. Cats are nature." He taunted. Mother Nature growled at him before she redirected the roots from the ground towards him, more and more emerging from their original spot. Chat yelped and jumped, landing on the bench. "I know there's a joke about dogs, bark, and cats, but I can't quite put my paw in it."

Mother Nature growled as Chat continued his taunts. He stood full height and--

" _Look out_!" He heard before being tackled to the ground from his standing position at the bench, just in time for a particularly aggressive branch (and rather pointy, might he add) thrust the empty air where he once had been. He looked down, expecting polkadots, but to his complete and utter horror, he saw white and light pink.

" _What are you doing?!_ " He cried, "I told you to  _hide_!"

But Chat didn't have a chance to continue chastising Marinette when he saw her eyes open wide as a force pulled her back. He watched in terror as she was raised by the ankle by a vine coming from the oak tree. Her eyes were wide and he saw the flicker of terror as she seemed to register that he was in her civilian form.

At this point, Chat stopped feeling his heartbeat.

Or rather, everything happened between one beat and the next.

First, he forgot the rain was there. The world was awfully, terribly,  _deadly_ quiet. He watched as Marinette was lifted in slow motion, her pigtails hanging upside down with strands of hair flailing wildly against the wind that was very much still blowing. And then he heard it.

It wasn't loud, really, but it was everything in Adrien's ears at that moment.

A simple, resounding, echoing  _crack_.

Marinette's cry of pain came not a second later.

Every gram of blood in Adrien's body turned to lead and fixed itself exactly in his stomach.

His ears rang with a scream that vaguely resembled her name, and his throat ached as it was ripped from it.

For the first time, Chat Noir didn't have to call upon his Cataclysm. He drew something from deep within him, from the place where the lead had carved a hole in his stomach, and drew dark, terrifying strength from it.

His hand began glowing green without him having to say a word---

\--or perhaps, he did call upon his ancient destruction, but his mind was far too gone from his head to notice.

Next, the world existed only through frozen frames in his eyes.

One moment he had his right foot forward, the next he was airbound.

Without being entirely sure about the exact sequence of events that took him to that point, Chat Noir looked at Marinette, gently cradled in his arms as if she were the most delicate creature in existence instead of the most powerful superhero of Paris. Her face was soaked with rain, but he  _knew_ she was biting back tears. Her eyes were screwed tight, and Chat wasn't sure who it was, but one of them was shaking.

"Mari," he called to her. Softly. Worried.  _Smitten_.

Marinette opened her eyes, brows still furrowed in what had to be an excruciating amount of pain that she could not keep out of her features, and looked at him. She tried to smile, but it came out as a wince. 

Tikki zipped out of Marinette's jacket, almost exposing herself to Mother Nature. Chat had the good sense to shift his body, keeping his ears open for the enemy. 

" _Marinette,_ " Tikki bawled. Chat knew his breathing was uneven --ragged-- and it had nothing to do with physical exertion.

"Chat," Marinette's voice was strained. Chat didn't look at her. "You have to stop her."

But he pretended not to hear her.

" _Adrien."_ She pressed, and he felt his ear twitch. Her pained voice calling his name was too much. "You have to---"

"I have to keep you safe." He finished, and looked down at the girl in his arms. He knew his eyes were set, and how stern he must've looked as Marinette searched his features for an opening --a place to cram her order.

" _Adrien_ \--" She tried again, and again, Adrien interrupted her.

"I keep you safe. You keep Paris safe." His voice sounded external, clipped. So dissociated from the boy he was used to being.

"The civilians are your priority!" She snapped, pushing herself slightly from him. Adrien felt a flame wake behind his ribs.

" _No._ " He replied, just as fiercely. "They're  _not_."

Without allowing for another word from her lips, Adrien whisked her away to the safety of an alley as distance made Mother Nature lose interest.

* * *

 

Marinette's entire nervous system was quite focused on the more than likely fracture that had occurred in her ankle. She was sure that, if Chat hadn't been hauling her in his arms and away from danger, she would've very likely be Marinette-pudding at this moment.

But that wasn't an excuse to leave the Akuma unattended.

"Chat,  _stop_!" She yelled, and just like that, Chat Noir stopped running, arms still securely wrapped behind her  back and under her legs. Marinette was slick with rainwater and chafed uncomfortably against the leather of Chat's suit. He made no motion to put her down, or even separate himself from her. He stood there, awkwardly, holding her in his arms, heavy pants that Marinette feared had nothing to do with the run.

His claws pressed against the edge of her clothes, dangerous but in control, fingers curled around her shoulder and legs. Her side was pressed against his front, unwilling (or unable) to let go.

She felt Tikki slam against her chest face first.

" _Marinette,_ " Tikki choked, more loudly now that they were in private. Tikki flew to her eye level, and Marinette was privy to a look of deep concern that she was sure could not belong to such an ancient deity. "Mari, are you in pain?"

Until this question, though Marinette was well aware of the pain, she had managed to dissociate from it: a deaf pain, a pounding two doors away from a room, cold wind against a flimsy sheet. Now it came crushing down into her foot as she tried to move it.

She winced.

Chat flinched.

Tikki flew down to examine her. She hissed.

"I... I think its broken." Tikki whispered, looking at her injury closely. Marinette didn't have to look. She could feel her shoe tighten already, sock restricting and choking against her skin. It was already starting to swell.

Before she could say anything, Chat started, finding the driest spot he could before kneeling on the ground gently --more gently than she had ever seen him move as Chat-- and gingerly placed her on the ground.

Not a second later did the green light overcome him and Plagg was ejected from the ring, giving Marinette her well groomed Adrien.

An Adrien with guilt written across his features.

He parted his lips to speak, but this time, Marinette cut him off.

"Don't you dare." She hissed, and Adrien looked abashed and guilty. "Adrien, this is  _not_ your fault."

"I should've done something." He whispered, but Marinette was having none of it.

"You  _should've_ stayed there! People are in  _danger_!"

Adrien's eyes snapped up to hers, a fire behind them that she had never seen.

"You're  _hurt_!"

Marinette scrambled to a sitting position, careful to move her leg as little as possible, but a wince still escaped her. "That doesn't matter! You're Paris's hero! They  _need_ you!"

"And I need  _you!_ " He yelled, the air of his lungs gone with those four words. Marinette stared at him, lips pressed together. Adrien licked his own.

"I don't  _care_ what Paris needs. You're hurt.  _You_ are  _hurt_." He grumbled. His own words seemed to have an effect on him, growing him more frustrated as he spoke. "How can you ask me to watch for them when you---"

" _This is what Tikki warned us about!_ " She yelled, and drowned the noise of their ragged breathing with her echo. The walls provided some shelter from the wind and rain, but they seemed to make everything she said sharper. Her words were so sharp, in fact, that they began cutting through her lips, unbidden. "Chat Noir and Ladybug... How could we  _think_ about it?" She demanded, not because she was angry, but because she wanted an  _answer_.

"There are so,  _so many_ people who depend on us," her voice cracked. "How... how could  _I_ think this was okay?"

There it was.

Chat--Adrien-- he hadn't known about her until recently. Marinette-- she had been so explicitly  _warned_ against this situation. How could she have fallen into it? Why had she walked straight past the 'No Entry' signs and stared at the shark waters before jumping off the cliff.  _How?_

But Adrien did not move. He stared at her as if she were a ship in the storm. His eyes were entranced with her, and her words meant nothing to him --less than nothing.

Marinette felt warmth in her face, its origin at the rim of her eyes.

"Adrien--" Marinette began, but her voice was full of cracks, because she'd had a will, at first --a strong will. She had chosen not to fall for him.

But little by little he had scraped against that will. Kind words and gentle nuzzles and sweet smiles and whispered confidences --you couldn't tear down her walls with force, but you could do it with love.

Marinette was weak -- _so weak_ \-- for love.

He wiped the pad of his thumb against her cheekbone, still managing to spot the tear in her soaked face. His eyes were sad. They were guilty and worried and terrified and kind.

They were always kind.

And that kindness had seared itself into her heart. Adrien had come in one way, burning a hole on one side of her heart, and Chat had come through the other side, clawing himself a spot on the other side.

Marinette hung her head. Not even the danger-- the pain that palpitated against her ankle-- was more important than this. She reached feebly for strings of reason.

"Adrien... We have to save Paris."

"Your foot---"

She looked up at him, from under her lashes, and saw Adrien. The boy she hadn't known in school. The hero that had come to her at night. The friend who gave her his trust. The stranger who opened his heart.

She looked at him, and hoped she could convey all her thoughts --all her feelings-- from her eyes to his.

From the way he dropped his gaze, she supposed she had.

"I'll carry you." He stated simply, tearing his gaze away from her. "We'll transform and I'll carry you over to her and we'll-- we'll figure something out."

"Adrien--"

" _No._ " He cut her off. "That's the deal." He looked at her, pleadingly. "I can't do this without you. Not because you purify the akuma --which you do, and its kind of big--" he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I need you,  _Marinette_." His voice dropped low. "I can't do this alone." She saw him clench his jaw.

Marinette took a deep breath, steadying herself.

"Okay."

Adrien's head snapped in her direction. Marinette nodded again.

"Yes. We'll go." She explained. "We transform here. You take me. We take down the Akuma."

Tikki floated between them, clearly torn. 

"Mari--"

"Don't make it harder than it needs to be," she begged. " _Please_."

Tikki nodded, dejected, and it was now that Marinette zoned in on Plagg. He floated a good ten inches away from Tikki, but looked at Mari with what she thought was admiration.

"Come on, kids," Plagg said, not unkindly, yet not gently. "Lets burn down the forrest."

 


	16. Naming of Names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the kids clean up their mess.

Marinette did her best to stop her arms from shaking as she laced her fingers behind Chat's neck--

_Adrien's neck. Adrien's carrying you_

\--and relished the fact that the pain in her ankle diminished substantially after her transformation. She supposed it made sense: a hurt Ladybug can't exactly fight crime if she's twisting around in pain.

So her leg didn't hurt much, and she was happy for that, she was!

She just wished --and at the same time didn't-- that she could walk, if only so that she didn't have to be in  _his_ arms.

In all honesty, this was killing her.

The pain in her ankle pre-transformation had  _nothing_ on the storm that had crushed her heart at seeing Adrien in pain-- at seeing  _Chat_ in pain.

She risked a glance at him --her partner, her classmate, her friend-- and everything fell away for a second. There were no costumes and no names and no background. They were a boy and a girl and they knew nothing about each other save that they cared. For a moment, he was not Chat and not Adrien. He was her friend. Her dearly beloved friend, and nothing else mattered.

He landed swiftly in the roof, allowing Marinette to assess the situation.

"Any brilliant plans?" He asked. He seemed to have stripped her names as well, distilling her into simply a girl.

A girl who had to save Paris, but still. A girl.

She thought hard for a few seconds. Where could the Akuma be hiding?

"I think its her bag." He said, scanning the situation with her. Of course he'd followed her train of thought.  _Of course_. "We just need to get close, snatch it up and not get impaled. Sounds simple." He said dryly. She rolled her eyes, feeling the weight in her chest let up a little.

"Oh, _please_. What fun would this be without a little impaling?" She joked lightly, and caught his stare from the corner of his eye, and the slightest upward tug of lips. Her heart fluttered.

"Sounds  _striking_. It hit me right through the chest. Positively  _Tepes_."

She stared blankly at him. He grinned winningly. 

"Get it?  _Tepes_? For Vlad Tepes?  _Vlad the Impaler_?" 

When she groaned audibly and smacked her palm against her forehead he seemed delighted.

" _Nerd_." She accused. He shrugged, still grinning.

And there it was. They had created a perfect bubble, right outside of time, like they had the day he confessed himself to her. They were in a pocket of the world that bore no witness, and they were free to be just a boy and a girl and a few bad puns. There were no identities or lies.

She realized that they had stripped each other of nomenclature, and existed in each other's mind only as a person rather than a name, and that made it so,  _so_ much easier to deal with it.

At least for now.

"Anyways," She said, a smile still threatening her lips, "come on, this shouldn't be  _too_ hard. Just keep me out of harm's way and its all good."

He snorted. "That's a given." He said, and there was a penumbral quiet that neither of them dared address. 

They watched the Akuma in silence until she turned away, completely unaware that she was being stalked by two kids dressed in latex and leather.  _She_ didn't even have to say anything and  _he_ was on the move.

Now you have to imagine how awkward it seemed, being carried in his arms as they approached a villain, ankle throbbing faintly while the concern of her Kwami resonated softly against the walls of her skull. 

 _Bad idea, bad idea, bad idea,_ it seemed to whisper.  But maybe she was dissociating, or maybe she just couldn't bring herself to care, because the words held no meaning, and they were almost soothing against his heartbeat, which pressed itself against her shoulder.

He landed on the ground, hiding behind a car and placing her gently on the asphalt. All her weight concentrated on her healthy side. His hands came away from her waist when he put her down, but he still remained close, whispering to her.

"I'll steal the purse and you do the rest. Yeah?"

She nodded. His eyes set in determination as he jumped into battle, his back to her.

The battle was awe-inspiring. She watched him dodge and jump and punch and kick. He moved smoothly and swiftly, keeping his taunting words to himself this time. The akuma was lost in him and the way he seemed to dance around it so easily. He made it seem as natural as breathing, avoiding it.

She had known all of this, of course. After a year of fighting together, she was more than in tune with his talent, and yet there was something wonderful about watching him take over. There was something soothing, and safe about watching him from afar. Watching him be  _miraculous_. 

Watching him be Adrien.

And just like that, she named him.

'Her friend' and 'Her partner' and everything else she had called him until now hadn't been enough. How could she have thought it would be?

Yes, stripping themselves away from titles had made everything easier for a few moments, but it wasn't what they were.

She was Marinette. Ladybug. 

He was Adrien. Chat Noir.

She had spent so much time compartmentalizing --keeping both sides of herself dissociated from one another-- that she had ignored the truth that Tikki had been telling her all along.

'With or without the mask, you are still Ladybug.'

And she was.

Adrien --he was Adrien and Chat and it was okay-- had loved Ladybug and then he had loved Marinette. They were one and the same, and the fact that he had not known it changed nothing. He had fallen for both sides of a whole, the same way she had fallen for him.

Because when you removed the names and the masks, what remained was the same.

And she had been far too stubborn to accept it.

"Ladybug!" 

The silence that had encased her world shattered. Her bubble of the universe popped; the pocket was gone. She jumped on her good foot, landing carefully on the roof of the car and caught easily the messenger bag thrown in her direction.

(She didn't even pay attention to the fact that it looked oily, disgusting, and covered in things she preferred not to identify.)

A tear was all it took, and that black butterfly tried to flutter away from her.

A quick purification sequence later, she felt Chat land next to her on the roof of the car (which she was  _sure_ the owner wouldn't appreciate).

"Carry you?" He opened his arms, and she smiled at him, just a little. Tentative, but welcoming. He took her in his arms and jumped away, towards a low building.

* * *

Adrien set her down carefully.

 _Always letting her down_. 

The words bit back at him spitefully, and he ignored the voice in the back of his head.

He watched Marinette, all her weight on one foot, as she examined her yoyo before sighing and throwing it sky high, calling for her Lucky Charm.

They watched a small, polka-dotted, red and black handkerchief, and memories flooded Adrien's head.

Some of his happiest moments had been around her. So many wonderful things had happened when he had been with Marinette, and yet-- all the moments he had felt like  _himself_ had been with Ladybug --and with her.

It all came back to her, always.

He watched her study the handkerchief quietly, before looking up at him: nervous, questioning, but welcome. A shy welcome. Tentative.

An offering.

He felt himself smile, just a smidgen, and her face relaxed. She took a deep breath and threw the hanky sky-high, and they watched it dissolve into a healing light that encompassed the city of Paris, cutting through the greyness of a sky that was no longer raining down on them.

And then there was quiet.

Quiet after the storm. Quiet after a fight.

He watched her silently as she tried stepping on her left ankle, entranced as she satisfied herself at her own healing. Raising her sight, Marinette looked up at him, still clad in her Ladybug suit, and smiled softly, and it struck him, so naturally but so strongly, the way something does when you haven't thought about it in a while and it overcomes you.

They remained silent, soft eyes and edging smiles, erratic heartbeats and shallow breaths.

"We should probably talk." He mumbled dumbly. She said nothing, only nodding and sitting down on the ledge of the building, feet dangling over the edge. He joined her soon.

Nobody said anything.

He parted her lips, not even knowing where to start. He took a deep breath--

"I'm sorry." Marinette spoke softly, looking at the endless clouds. Her blue eyes were dim and sad, and they looked at anything but him. "I'm really, really sorry."

"Its--"

"Nope." She cut him off. "Its really,  _really_ not."

Adrien remained quiet.

"I've thought about it a lot, you know." She spoke softly, almost to herself, but he hung on every word. "I mean, about telling you. About why I  _didn't_ tell you. I thought about it while I was crying."

Images of tear-filled eyes haunted him and his heart clenched.

"I spent so much time trying to keep Marinette and Ladybug separate that I... I don't know." She looked down at her hands. "I mean, it was like  _Marinette_ was me. And then Ladybug was just something that happened. Someone that sort of stepped in and did all these amazing things, and then walked out." She shrugged, tracing the spots of her gloves with her left hand. "And well, I knew Chat loved her, and I thought 'yeah, okay, it makes sense,' cause how wouldn't it?

"But  _wow_ , you really thought she was something special, and I always wondered what would happen when you found out that it was just me under there... that the  _identity_ that Chat loved was just a mask and when the battle was over she was back to being this regular girl."

"There's nothing  _regular_ about you." He said softly, but she said nothing.

"And then it turned out to be Adrien." She continued. "The boy I had the most disgusting crush on. The boy I was  _terrified_ of talking to. And for a second I thought 'of course, he's in love with Ladybug too'."

She was quiet for a few seconds.

"But... then you weren't." His breath caught in his throat as she spoke. "You came to me,  _Marinette_ , and told me. You trusted  _me_. Not  _her_. For a wonderful,  _wonderful_ second, somebody chose  _me_." She sighed. "And... I wanted to hold on to that. To the fact that you cared for  _me_. That it wasn't 'Adrien likes Ladybug.' It was 'Adrien likes Marinette.'" She let out a breathless, humourless laugh. "Its funny how it was easier for me to see you two so differently. Bit hypocritical, I suppose."

Marinette was baring her heart, and Adrien did not know what do with it.

"I thought I'd always be head over heels for Adrien... Until Chat was in my head all the time." She looked at the skyline, never at him. "Things he would find funny. What he would say in certain situations. It became easier to be around Adrien once I started liking Chat, I guess." She pursed her lips, thinking. "Because it was so amazing. It was so wonderful that I could trust Chat so much, and then to suddenly  _feel_ things for this person you know inside out..." She sighed and blew the bangs out of her face.

"Adrien I fell for because he was kind. That was it. I was a goner because of his kindness. And then suddenly I began seeing that kindness in Chat --that  _same_ kindness-- and it just sort of..." She let the words hang and did a dismissive motion with her hand.

She rested her back against the wall, legs swinging over the ledge.

"In the core it was all the same. I was just too dumb to see it."

Finally,  _finally_ , she looked at him. He was sure his eyes were stunned and his mouth was hanging open, but now it was time to talk. He swallowed dryly.

"I..." he sighed.

"I don't have many friends. I mean, I  _working_ on it, but sometimes I don't know if I'm being fair to them. Mostly because sometimes I'm not sure  _Adrien_ is really real." The words unravelled from his mind, startling him as much as her. Some subconscious part of his mind had woven these thoughts articulately and he was only now privy to their contents.

" _Chat_ _Noir_... That's me. Free. Happy. Brave." He bit the inside of his cheek. "And you saw that. Both sides of you did." He did look at her as he spoke, sporadically looking away when something was difficult to say.

"I always knew you were wonderful, but I could never get you to befriend me. It was easier when you saw me as Chat. And that attention you gave me... I started craving it. It wasn't the  _attention_ exactly, but the fact that it was you." He said quietly. "You were so sincere. So open. And you cared for the Chat side of me. The  _real_ side of me. And then...." He searched her eyes. "Then you kissed me."

Marinette said nothing.

"That was one of the best moments of my life, you know?" He took a deep breath. "I had told you that I loved you, and even though you didn't say anything, that was kind of an answer, right?" He laughed drily. "More than I expected, anyway."

He parted his lips, not even sure about what else his mind was churning, but Marinette spoke, looking at him.

"You surprised me that night." She confessed. A small smile on the corner of her lips. "I admired your courage so much. Your  _trust_. You always wanted us to know  _who_ we were but I just couldn't trust anything. I couldn't trust you to look at me the same if you found out." She rested her head against the wall and look forward. "You are so much braver than me."

"Nah." He responded, though there were butterflies in his stomach. "I'm just more of a hail-mary pass type of guy."

Marinette stared blankly at him, and he laughed a little.

"Sorry, American expression." The smile vanished. "I mean, I guess I'm more likely to do these last resource things cause I just figure I got nothing to lose."

The words hung heavy between them.

"What...?"

He shrugged, this time not looking at her.

"If I told you I loved you, what did I stand to lose? I didn't have your affection to begin with, and you made me feel so safe. Telling you who I was after you made everything in your power to make me feel like  _Chat_ was your friend...  I just went for it."

She thought for a few seconds.

"I'm a coward." She stated simply. He looked at her reproachingly. 

"Don't ever say that in front of me again." He said rather sharply. Marinette looked at her hands for a few seconds, biting her lips and seeming to gather something from within her. He watched her carefully, until she turned on her side, one leg on the ledge while the other still hung, her body directed at him.

"Okay," she said. "Okay, I'm going to do this." She said to herself. Adrien's mind was blank. What?

She looked into his eyes intensely, deeply. Something inside of him shuddered and he took a deep breath.

"I'm gonna do it." She said decisively, so  _Ladybug_ -like. So  _Marinette_.

So  _her_.

"Adrien." She pronounced, taking a deep breath. She brought her hands to her chest, shaking.

"Mari, you're making me nervous."

"No, let me talk." Her eyes were fearful, but decisive. He swallowed his words.

Soon, her hands were on his cheeks. She held him firmly, and stared deep into his eyes.

"Adrien." She pronounced again. Whatever she was doing, she was terrified. " _Adrien_." She began again, as if it were something so difficult for her to say.

She shut her eyes tightly, and when she opened them, they were full of fire.

"Adrien, I love you." She pushed the words out in a single breath, and it was almost enough to knock him off the roof. Everything went slack in him.

As if the words had released something inside of her, Marinette let out her breath.

"I love you. I'm so sorry I couldn't say it back then. God, I wanted to, but I was terrified.  _Terrified_ of loving Chat." She looked at him, a little fearfully. "But I love you. I love Adrien. And I love Chat Noir. I love  _you_."

Adrien's blood had never felt warmer. His eyes had never felt more sharp. Everything in him was hyper-aware of her. 

He had never, ever, heard such wonderful words, in his entire life.

He took her hands from his cheeks and kissed them devotedly.

"Mari--" his words failed him.

"I--love you." He breathed. "I'm sorry I was too stupid to see it earlier." His hands were shaking.

Without either of them noticing, time had run out, and Tikki was ejected from Marinette's earrings. He remained in costume, and it was like that night all over again.

"Mari..." Tikki's voice was warm and filled with emotion. Tikki looked at Adrien, apologetic. "Adrien, I'm sorry."

Adrien said nothing. He only watched Tikki and her regret, and it untwisted his heart a little.

"I messed with things that I shouldn't have and I just... I got you two hurt." She looked at Marinette, eyes wide and edges of tears. "I never, _ever_ wanted to hurt you, Mari."

Marinette smiled weakly at Tikki, gently cradling her in her hand.

"I know... You were right anyways..."

And there it was again, that ball of lead in Adrien's stomach.

They couldn't be together.

"No," she said, and Adrien's head shot upwards. "I wasn't."

Marinette frowned. "Tikki, you saw what  _just_ happened."

"What I saw was Chat Noir keeping Ladybug safe. I saw Paris get saved again. I saw you two work it out, Mari."

Adrien's own words resonated in him.

Tikki's tiny shoulders slumped.

"I want you to be happy, Mari." She said miserably. "Destiny threw so much on your shoulders, and you do it so wonderfully that sometimes I forget that you're still just a kid."

"Tikki--"

"But you  _are_ , Mari. You're a kid, and you're human, and that's beautiful." Tikki smiled a little, floating at Mari's eye level. "Being a human is so,  _so_ beautiful. And one of the most beautiful things, one of the things that make Ladybug so strong is love." She looked dejected. "How could I ask a Ladybug not to love?"

"But what if--?"

"Then we'll deal with it." Tikki said, and suddenly all her years were evident in her voice. "Please Mari, do what makes you happy."

At that moment, while they stared at each other, Adrien's transformation fell away, and Plagg emerged from the ring, floating next to Tikki. He looked at Adrien.

"Humans are a messy business." He stated, and Adrien glared a little. "You let yourselves get your passions get away from you, you are selfish, and incredibly dramatic. But," he paused. "You also make cheese."

Adrien glared. Plagg rolled his eyes.

"I mean to say that humans can make wonderful things because of what you are. You sacrifice everything for the one you love because you are selfish enough to put that person above everyone else. Your passions get away from you and become amazing, wonderful things. You are dramatic but-- no, wait, I don't have a follow-up for that."

"What I mean to say," Plagg concluded. "Is that there are things that even gods can't stop," he said quietly. "And this one is just one of them."

"Plagg and I want what's best for both of you, and sometimes  _that_ gets away from us." She explained. "And sometimes we  _don't_ know best."

"Speak for yourself." Plagg mumbled. Tikki ignored him.

"Mari, be happy." Tikki declared. "Anything that comes after --I'll be with you every step of the way."

Plagg grabbed Tikki's nubby hand and began floating away.

"With those wise words, we are going to leave you two to make your choices."

"We support you either way." Tikki encouraged as they disappeared.

Adrien and MArinette were alone again. They looked at each other intensely.

"I love you." Marinette said thoughtlessly. "I don't know what you think about me but--"

Adrien half smiled.

"I loved you as Ladybug." He stated. "And I loved you as Marinette." He explained, and saw Marinette's expectant, terrified face. "I'm just so,  _so_ lucky to get to fall in love with the same girl twice."

Marinette smiled a little.

"So... you wanna give this a shot?"

He touched her cheek gently and pulled closer with a smile.

"Try to stop me, Princess." He whispered as he closed the distance between them.

As Marinette kissed Adrien, the only thought that danced in his head that he was, for the first time in a long time, truly happy.

Marinette felt the same.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SUPPOSED TO BE ASLEEP BUT I WONT BE ABLE TO WRITE THIS WEEK BECAUSE IM IN A SHITTY SERVICE THIS MONTH BUT HAVE THIS
> 
> this is technically the last chapter, but I *am* writing two epilogues. 
> 
> Thank you everyone that stuck with me this long. This story has gotten me through dark times this year, and writing it has been a relief and a joy, and sharing it with such wonderful people with such wonderful messages has been... wow!
> 
> So thank you all, and I hope you stick around for the epilogue!


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